Latest news with #MioSugita
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
The Mainichi News Quiz Answer for July 29
Mio Sugita, a former House of Representatives member and LDP candidate, failed to win a seat in her first attempt to enter the House of Councillors in the July 20 election. Her campaign was overshadowed by widespread criticism of her repeated discriminatory remarks about South Koreans and Japan's indigenous Ainu people, which were officially recognized as human rights violations.
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
The Mainichi News Quiz: Which LDP'er couldn't get elected after her discriminatory comments?
How closely have you been following events in Japan? Try The Mainichi News Quiz for July 29 to test your news knowledge. Ready? Which Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician failed to win a seat in Japan's July 20 House of Councillors election after repeated discriminatory remarks about minority groups? A) Sanae Takaichi B) Mio Sugita C) Seiko Noda D) Tomomi Inada
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Xenophobia worries and a ban on smiling: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between July 19 and 27. The first story was viewed by 30.1% of our regular readers. (The Mainichi) Naturalized linguist in Japan laments recent political trend to blame foreigners MUNAKATA, Fukuoka -- An American-born linguist who acquired Japanese nationality two years ago is concerned about the trend that was recently seen in the lead-up to the July 20 House of Councillors election in Japan. With one political party promoting a "Japanese First" agenda and misinformation spreading online, the scholar compared it to the division seen in the U.S. Interviewed before the upper house election, she said she planned to vote to support harmony. Full story. Blameless but facing deportation: Japan immigration law's inexplicable provision One day a foreign woman living in Japan suddenly received a visit from a police officer at her workplace. She had come under suspicion of aiding the illegal work of a Vietnamese man. The woman herself had come to Japan to work, but she had no recollection of ever having helped someone work illegally, and half a year later, the criminal charges were dropped. Full story. LDP's Mio Sugita loses upper house seat after backlash over discriminatory remarks TOKYO -- Former House of Representatives member Mio Sugita failed to secure a seat in the July 20 House of Councillors election after facing increasing criticism over her repeated discriminatory remarks. Full story. West Japan town's 'kappa' folklore creature to be replaced after years of scaring tourists FUKUSAKI, Hyogo -- A popular statue of a "kappa" river creature from Japanese folklore in this western Japan town will be replaced after becoming worn out from years of "work" by popping out of a pond to surprise tourists. Full story. Japan high school baseball team banned from smiling, waving in tourney entrance march HIROSAKI, Aomori -- A high school baseball team that smiled and waved as they marched during the summer 2024 Aomori Prefecture tournament's opening ceremony had to abandon doing the same this year as the prefectural baseball federation asked the players to follow tradition. Full story.
The Mainichi
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
LDP's Mio Sugita loses upper house seat after backlash over discriminatory remarks
TOKYO -- Former House of Representatives member Mio Sugita failed to secure a seat in the July 20 House of Councillors election after facing increasing criticism over her repeated discriminatory remarks. The 58-year-old ran for the first time in the upper house proportional representation race, where 50 seats were up for grabs, as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Despite campaigning on issues such as strengthening the national security policy, preserving traditional Japanese values and amending the Constitution, questions were raised about her qualifications as a lawmaker. Sugita had previously been elected three times in the lower house proportional representation bloc. However, she was suspended from party positions for six months in April 2024 due to her involvement in a slush fund scandal within LDP factions. She later withdrew her candidacy for the lower house election in October that year. Sugita has been the subject of controversy for discriminatory online posts about South Korean residents in Japan and the indigenous Ainu people. At the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women held in Switzerland in 2016, she took photos of participating South Korean and Ainu women without their permission and posted the images on her blog with comments including "old women cosplaying in ethnic costumes" and "frankly speaking, they're shabby." In 2023, the Osaka and Sapporo legal affairs bureaus recognized her statements as human rights violations. As a result, her endorsement by the LDP in the latest upper house election sparked protests from civil society groups. LDP President and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said during a House of Councillors Budget Committee session in March 2025 that he felt "a strong sense of discomfort" about Sugita's past discriminatory remarks. However, he suggested there was no problem with her endorsement, saying, "It's ultimately my call."
