A populist upstart party surging in the polls ahead of Sunday’s national elections in Japan by railing against a “silent invasion” of immigrants has denied any ties to Russia, after one of its candidates gave an interview to Moscow state media.
Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party, Sanseito, is widening its appeal with a ‘Japanese First’ campaign ahead of the upper house vote.
While polls show it might only secure 10 to 15 of the 125 seats up for grabs, it is further eroding the support of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s shaky minority government increasingly beholden to opposition parties as it clings to power.
Photo: Jiji Press via AFP
Sanseito’s latest controversy surrounds a rookie candidate known only as Saya, who gave Russia’s Sputnik news agency an interview that was published on its Japanese edition’s X account on Monday.
Saya’s sudden appearance on Sputnik sparked a storm of confusion that fueled speculation on social media that Sanseito was Russia-friendly.
Sohei Kamiya, the party’s 47-year-old charismatic leader, told an Internet program on Tuesday that party had no ties to Moscow.
“Not with Russia, China or America. We don’t. We keep balanced diplomacy with any country”, Kamiya said.
“To say we’re pro-Russia just because she appeared on Sputnik ... I think that’s just too simplistic,” he said.
Kamiya attributed Saya’s Sputnik appearance to “human error,” saying he had no knowledge it was being organized.
Sanseito’s stance on Russia has come under scrutiny before, after Kamiya said Moscow should not be held entirely responsible for the war in Ukraine.
“Russia’s military invasion was of course bad, but there are forces in the US that drove Russia into doing that,” Kamiya said on Tuesday.
“So I said once that it’s not fair to say Russia is the only bad guy here, and then people began saying I’m pro-Russia,” he added.
Local media reported that Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki on Wednesday said that “Japan is also becoming a target” of foreign election interference through social media and other means.
Sanseito’s “Japanese First” campaign is pushing the government to tackle fears about foreigners as it drags into the mainstream rhetoric once confined to the political fringe.
“In the past, anyone who brought up immigration would be attacked by the left. We are getting bashed too, but are also gaining support,” Kamiya said.
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