Japan Immigration News

The Rising Force of Japan’s Ultra-Nationalist, Anti-Immigration Sanseito Party

Release Date
2025-07-08
Media
The Diplomat
Summary
Sanseito, a nationalist and anti-establishment party founded in 2020, is emerging as a serious contender in Japan’s upcoming upper house election on July 20. Known for its slogan “Japan First,” the party has gained popularity among men in their 30s to 50s through social media, and now polls ahead of some established opposition parties.

Sanseito promotes preserving traditional culture, reviving the “Japanese spirit,” and achieving agricultural self-sufficiency. It opposes globalization, immigration, vaccines, LGBT rights, and nuclear energy. The party currently has five lawmakers, mostly from post-2022 defections, and is fielding candidates nationwide in 2025, aiming to win six seats.

Under party leader Kamiya Sohei, Sanseito has clarified its hardline immigration stance, emphasizing national security over cultural exchange. Kamiya criticized foreign workers exploiting legal loopholes and stressed the party only opposes illegal or exploitative immigration—not legal, cooperative labor.

Sanseito downplays Japan’s falling birthrate as a crisis, advocating for automation and AI in sectors like elder care and farming instead of relying on migrant labor. It calls for massive investment in agriculture, including a ¥10 trillion plan to double food self-sufficiency and create municipal food reserves by 2030. Farmers would be reclassified as public workers and traditional food would be promoted in schools.

The party strongly opposes U.S. demands to open Japan’s rice market, warning that importing American rice would devastate domestic agriculture. Sanseito argues for a reset in U.S.-Japan trade relations, proposing domestic incentives for the auto industry over concessions in agriculture.

Ultimately, the election will test whether Sanseito's online momentum can convert into lasting political power.
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