Latest news with #Upper House
Japan Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
DPP backers abandoned party for Sanseito in Upper House poll, analysis shows
The opposition Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito won the same number of seats in Sunday's Upper House contest —but an analysis of voter trends in both parties in the months leading up to the election indicates a significant shift by those who previously voted for the DPP to Sanseito this time. Thirteen proved to be the lucky number for both parties. The DPP went into the election contesting four seats and finishing with 17, for a total of 22 Upper House seats, including five seats not up for election. Sanseito, a populist right-wing party, increased its Upper House total from one to 14 seats. A survey conducted between February and July by the Asahi Shimbun and Asako Miura, a University of Osaka professor who has written about how psychological behavior on social media toward news spreads, showed that while the DPP increased its seat total, it lost support over the six month period as Sanseito gained more backing. The percentage of survey respondents who preferred the DPP rose from 13.7% in the February to March period to 15% in April to May but had dropped to 10.1% by July 18. The survey showed 20% of those who had said they favored the DPP in April to May later changed their preference to Sanseito. Combined with those who shifted from the DPP to other parties, the DPP ultimately lost one-third of its total support. On the other hand, the percentage of those who said they intended to vote for Sanseito stood at 1.2% in February to March, rising slightly to 1.4% in April to May. But the figure surged to 7.4% as of July 18 — a 5.3-fold increase. Half of Sanseito's increase came from those who previously supported the DPP. The decrease in support for DPP was a blow for a party that had quadrupled its seat total from seven to 28 in last October's Lower House election. The DPP currently has 27 seats in that chamber. Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki delivers a campaign speech ahead of the July 20 Upper House elections in Tokyo on July 3. | AFP-JIJI In May, however, the DPP faced criticism over the nomination of candidates for the Upper House election. Although it decided in June not to endorse certain candidates, that failed to silence the party's critics. The scandals played a role in souring views of the DPP. But voters who moved away from them also seemed attracted to Sanseito's message, the University of Osaka's Miura said. 'Many seem to have been attracted to the party's 'Japanese First' slogan,' she said. 'In fact, when asked about their impressions of the party, it was significant that those who gave it a high favorable rating mentioned this keyword more often than those who gave it a low or moderate favorable rating,' The survey also showed respondents who favored the DPP and Sanseito the most got a significant amount of news and information from YouTube and social media. They had a strong distrust of the mainstream media, government and university experts, though Miura said there was no survey data as to the specific reasons. 'However, there appears to be a high level of distrust toward established systems and authority figures in general,' she said.
NHK
22-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
PM Ishiba's future in question after election upset
Japan's PM faces calls to step down after his ruling coalition loses its Upper House majority, while opposition parties - including the ascendant Sanseito - weigh their next move.
CNA
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
CNA Correspondent - What's next for Japan after PM Ishiba's Upper House election loss?
The leader of Japan has vowed not to step aside despite his ruling coalition losing its majority in the Upper House election. What does the outcome mean for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba domestically? What impact will his weakened position have on looming US trade negotiations? Teresa Tang sits down with CNA's Michiyo Ishida.
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
As Japan Votes, a Trump-Inspired Politician Grabs the Spotlight
The crowd of 800 people were younger than those who typically attend political rallies in Japan. But they had gathered in the shadow of a smoking volcano to hear a populist upstart in Sunday's parliamentary elections whose heated campaign speech would sound familiar to voters in the United States or Europe. They burst into cheers when Sohei Kamiya climbed to the top of a campaign truck decorated in the orange colors of his fledgling political party, Sanseito. Grabbing a microphone, he told them that Japan faced threats from shadowy globalists, lawbreaking foreigners and a corrupt domestic political establishment that was stifling the younger generation with taxes. His solution: a nationalist agenda that he calls 'Japanese First.' 'Japan must be a society that serves the interests of the Japanese people,' Mr. Kamiya told his applauding audience. Mr. Kamiya founded the party and is one of its two sitting members in the Upper House. Elected to a six-year term in 2022, he is not on the ballot himself this year. But he has crossed Japan to campaign on behalf of Sanseito's 54 candidates, a large number that reflects the new party's big ambitions. Opponents and many domestic media reports have accused him of being xenophobic, saying he is directing public dissatisfaction with high prices and stagnant wages at Japan's growing population of foreign residents. At campaign stops, small numbers of protesters hold up signs saying 'no hate' toward non-Japanese. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
