Younger Japanese drawn to anti-immigrant populist party Sanseito

A man distributes Sanseito party leaflets in front of a Coming-of-Age ceremony venue in Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, in January.
By Takara Sato
"Long ago, rock was a symbol of the anti-establishment...Using words, not guitars, as our weapons today, politics is what rocks!"
That's the marketing message of Sanseito, a new right-wing populist party in Japan known for its stance against immigrants and coronavirus measures as well as calls for rewriting the postwar Constitution, often seen as taboo. Some supporters want to revive wartime slogans of the Japanese Empire.
Sanseito, known in English as the Party of Do it Yourself, was established as the pandemic began in 2020 and quickly exploited the fears and frustrations of people in Japan.
It picked up three seats in last October's lower house election. The party leader Sohei Kamiya, who won re-election in May, has set a target of six seats in voting for the upper house this summer.
Amid growing discontent with economic malaise and record-breaking numbers of inbound tourists, Sanseito supporters complain that foreigners receive better treatment than Japanese and the country's culture is changing rapidly.
A movement with roots in social media, supporters blend nationalism with a sense of crisis and frustration over their daily lives.
At a party gathering in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in February, about 25 attendees split into groups to discuss rewriting the 1947 Constitution. One group suggested a new supreme law should state that "Japan belongs to the Japanese people, and foreign ownership of Japanese land is not permitted."
"First, (foreigners) have to fulfill their obligations as human beings and then we can teach them their rights," said one woman.
"That's right. Japan's a paradise for foreigners," chimed in another.
Others said everyone living in Japan should follow its traditional culture and customs. One proposal called for a return to the spirit of "Hakko Ichiu" as a national ideal. The Japanese Empire's wartime slogan means "unify the eight corners of the world" and it was used to justify its domination of Asia.
Many supporters of populist right-wing political parties claim Japan spends more money on foreigners' livelihoods while Japanese are struggling to make ends meet.
An 18-year-old male university student from Nara Prefecture supports Sanseito because he's angry at the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The teen, who requested anonymity, was introduced to the party by his father around the time of the 2022 upper house election, when Kamiya won his first parliamentary seat.
"Japanese people are struggling, but they are giving money away to foreign countries and giving excessive preferential treatment to foreigners," the teen said. He supports Sanseito's calls for tighter regulation of land acquisition by foreign capital and curbs on foreign workers.
He was impressed by speeches by the firebrand Kamiya and others on YouTube. "I thought these people are really Japanese," he said.
In January, the student helped hand out Sanseito leaflets in front of a venue for a Coming-of-Age ceremony in Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, western Japan.
Young people smartly attired in their suits and kimono did not readily accept them, but the teen was satisfied nonetheless, remarking, "I'm glad that people know about the party now."
Sanseito's early support, especially among younger Japanese, can be attributed in part to pandemic fatigue, specifically the obligation to wear masks.
A 19-year-old woman who attends a vocational school in Wakayama Prefecture became a supporter because of the party's proposal for the "liberalization of mask wearing" in the 2022 House of Councillors election as official COVID-19 policy.
Feeling masks were ineffective and uncomfortable, she began removing hers at school even though she was warned not to do so.
The woman, who also requested anonymity, joined Sanseito's political activities with her mother. When Kamiya was elected for the first time, she said she felt his voice united voters across the country.
Kamiya has been likened to a Japanese male idol because of his charismatic stage presence. "When I see Mr. Kamiya's speeches, it makes me cry. I'm a huge fan," the woman said.
Her parents often say that Japan's history was changed by the U.S.-led Allied Occupation. "The Constitution was not written by the Japanese people," she said. "I want people to be taught the correct history."
She also agrees with Sanseito policies on food safety and the importance of organic produce. Fast food is not part of her diet.
"It's the additives," she said. "And the food is not from Japan. It's all imported. Because I'm Japanese, shouldn't I want to eat Japanese food? It's like local production for local consumption. Our food self-sufficiency rate is low."
© KYODO

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