‘Is Japan moving to the right?’

日本是否正在向右转?

The Inquiry

2025-08-26

23 分钟
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A far-right party which came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic recently showed itself to be a contender to Japan’s centrist political establishment, when it grew from one seat, three years ago to fifteen seats in the recent elections. Known as Sanseito, the party is led by Kamiya Sohei, whose YouTube videos spread conspiracy theories about vaccinations. Its political platform is a nationalist ‘Japanese First’ agenda and warns against a ‘silent invasion of foreigners’. Whilst for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party coalition, the election results were bruising. The LDP lost its majority in the Upper House, having already lost control of the Lower House last year. But its embattled Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, whilst facing calls from within his party to resign, has said he has no plans to quit. Against this backdrop, there’s a growing unease amongst Japanese voters over issues like immigration, over-tourism and the economy and Sanseito are tapping into that. So, on this week’s Inquiry we’re asking, ‘Is Japan moving to the right?’ Contributors: Kenneth Mori McElwain, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Tokyo, Japan Prof. Dr. Fabian Schäfer, Chair of Japanese Studies, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany Jeffrey Hall, Author and Lecturer, Kanda University of International Studies, Eastern Japan Dr. Kristi Govella, Associate Professor of Japanese Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, UK Presenter: William Crawley Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
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  • Welcome to The Inquiry from the BBC World Service.

  • I'm William Crawley.

  • Each week, one question, four expert witnesses and an answer.

  • For decades, Japan has been seen as stable, centrist and predictable.

  • The centre-right Liberal Democratic Party, the LDP,

  • has ruled almost continuously for 70 years, in coalition with Komito for the past 25.

  • But that grip is weakening.

  • In July, the coalition lost its majority in Japan's upper house,

  • just months after losing control of the more powerful...

  • Lower House, following a major financial scandal.

  • Still, few predicted what would come next.

  • A challenge from the far right.

  • Sansei To, a party founded by a YouTuber spreading anti-vaccine conspiracies,

  • made a stunning leap from the single seat it won in 2022 to 15 seats,

  • campaigning under the provocative slogan, Japanese first.

  • So this week on The Inquiry, we're asking...

  • Is Japan moving to the right?

  • To understand the significance of this new political shift in Japan, we need to go back to 1947,

  • when it enacted a new constitution under Allied occupation, primarily led by the United States.

  • This was, in effect, the blueprint for a new kind of country.