Far-right voters shaking Japanese politics

TOKYO, Oct 3: After suffering heavy losses in the Upper House elections this summer, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner no longer command a majority in either chamber of parliament. The outcome forced Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign and exposed a surge of support for Sanseito, a far-right populist party born from a YouTube channel during the pandemic. Its “Japanese First” campaign mixed anti-immigration appeals with promises of tax cuts, farmer protections, and skepticism toward vaccines, The Japan Times reported.