China ‘clearly’ trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy, Taipei says before recall vote
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
‘Japanese First’ party emerges as election force with tough immigration talk
The fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday. The party won 14 seats adding to the single lawmaker it secured in the 248-seat chamber three years ago. It has only three seats in the more powerful lower house. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house, leaving them further beholden to opposition support following a lower house defeat in October. “Sanseito has become the talk of the town, and particularly here in America, because of the whole populist and anti-foreign sentiment,” said Joshua Walker, head of the U.S. non-profit Japan Society. “We were criticized as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The public came to understand that the media was wrong and SanSito was right,” Sohei Kamiya, the party’s 47-year-old leader, said in an interview with local broadcaster Nippon Television.
Party has also pledged tax cuts and welfare spending
Leader says he wants to expand lower house presence
TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) – The fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday, gaining support with warnings of a “silent invasion” of immigrants, and pledges for tax cuts and welfare spending.
Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party broke into mainstream politics with its “Japanese First” campaign.
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The party won 14 seats adding to the single lawmaker it secured in the 248-seat chamber three years ago. It has only three seats in the more powerful lower house.
“The phrase Japanese First was meant to express rebuilding Japanese people’s livelihoods by resisting globalism. I am not saying that we should completely ban foreigners or that every foreigner should get out of Japan,” Sohei Kamiya, the party’s 47-year-old leader, said in an interview with local broadcaster Nippon Television after the election.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house, leaving them further beholden to opposition support following a lower house defeat in October.
“Sanseito has become the talk of the town, and particularly here in America, because of the whole populist and anti-foreign sentiment. It’s more of a weakness of the LDP and Ishiba than anything else,” said Joshua Walker, head of the U.S. non-profit Japan Society.
In polling ahead of Sunday’s election, 29% of voters told NHK that social security and a declining birthrate were their biggest concern. A total of 28% said they worried about rising rice prices, which have doubled in the past year. Immigration was in joint fifth place with 7% of respondents pointing to it.
“We were criticized as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The public came to understand that the media was wrong and Sanseito was right,” Kamiya said.
Kamiya’s message grabbed voters frustrated with a weak economy and currency that has lured tourists in record numbers in recent years, further driving up prices that Japanese can ill afford, political analysts say.
Japan’s fast-ageing society has also seen foreign-born residents hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, though that is just 3% of the total population, a fraction of the corresponding proportion in the United States and Europe.
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Item 1 of 5 Japan’s Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya delivers a speech during the party’s rally in Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2025, a day after the upper house election. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon [1/5] Japan’s Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya delivers a speech during the party’s rally in Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2025, a day after the upper house election. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Kamiya, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, told Reuters before the election that he had drawn inspiration from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “bold political style”.
He has also drawn comparisons with Germany’s AfD and Reform UK although right-wing populist policies have yet to take root in Japan as they have in Europe and the United States.
Post-election, Kamiya said he plans to follow the example of Europe’s emerging populist parties by building alliances with other small parties rather than work with an LDP administration, which has ruled for most of Japan’s postwar history.
Sanseito’s focus on immigration has already shifted Japan’s politics to the right. Just days before the vote, Ishiba’s administration announced a new government taskforce to fight “crimes and disorderly conduct” by foreign nationals and his party has promised a target of “zero illegal foreigners”.
Kamiya, who won the party’s first seat in 2022 after gaining notoriety for appearing to call for Japan’s emperor to take concubines, has tried to tone down some controversial ideas formerly embraced by the party.
During the campaign, Kamiya, however, faced a backlash for branding gender equality policies a mistake that encourage women to work and keep them from having children.
To soften what he said was his “hot-blooded” image and to broaden support beyond the men in their twenties and thirties that form the core of Sanseito’s support, Kamiya fielded a raft of female candidates on Sunday.
Those included the single-named singer Saya, who clinched a seat in Tokyo.
Like other opposition parties, Sanseito called for tax cuts and an increase in child benefits, policies that led investors to fret about Japan’s fiscal health and massive debt pile, but unlike them it has a far bigger online presence from where it can attack Japan’s political establishment.
Its YouTube channel has 400,000 followers, more than any other party on the platform and three times that of the LDP, according to socialcounts.org.
Sanseito’s upper house breakthrough, Kamiya said, is just the beginning.
“We are gradually increasing our numbers and living up to people’s expectations. By building a solid organization and securing 50 or 60 seats, I believe our policies will finally become reality,” he said.
Reporting by Tim Kelly and John Geddie and Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Dale Hudson and Lincoln Feast.
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Japan’s PM Ishiba denies talk he will quit following election drubbing
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied talk on Wednesday that he would quit after a bruising upper house election defeat. The 68-year-old leader said media reports that he had already decided to resign were “completely unfounded” If he does go, his departure will trigger a succession battle within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it contends with challenges from new political parties that are stealing its support. The new leader is unlikely to call a general election straight away, instead holding off on strengthening the party’s appeal before seeking a mandate from voters.
TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied talk on Wednesday that he would quit after a source and media reports said he plans to step down following a bruising upper house election defeat.
The 68-year-old leader said media reports that he had already decided to resign were “completely unfounded.”
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Ishiba chose not to quit straight after the election to prevent political instability as an August 1 deadline for clinching a trade deal with the U.S. approached, a source close to the prime minister said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to talk to the media.
Ishiba and Trump unveiled a trade deal on Tuesday that lowers tariffs on imports of Japanese autos and spares Tokyo punishing new levies on other goods.
Ishiba will announce his resignation next month, Japanese media reported earlier.
If he does go, his departure less than a year after taking office will trigger a succession battle within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it contends with challenges from new political parties, particularly on the right, that are stealing its support.
Among them is the “Japanese First” Sanseito far-right group which surged in Sunday’s vote, growing its representation in the 248-seat upper house to 14 from one. The party has attracted voters with pledges to curb immigration, slash taxes, and provide financial relief to households squeezed by rising prices.
Ishiba defeated hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi in a party leadership runoff last year. Whoever succeeds him as head of the LDP would have to govern without a majority in either house of parliament following the government’s lower house election defeat in October.
Any new leader’s immediate priority will be to secure support from enough opposition party lawmakers to win confirmation as prime minister.
An incoming leader is unlikely to call a general election straight away, instead holding off on strengthening the party’s appeal before seeking a mandate from voters, the source said.
Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama, Leika Kihara and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan
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China ‘clearly’ trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy, Taipei says before recall vote
Taiwanese voters will decide on the fate of 24 lawmakers on Saturday. Recall campaign started by civic groups who accuse lawmakers of cozying up to Beijing. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council says it “rejects the Chinese Communist Party’s intervention” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Chinese state media have repeatedly commented on the recall vote and used some of the same talking points as the Kuomintang (KMT) KMT denies being pro-Beijing, but says it needs to keep lines of communication with China open.
On Saturday, Taiwan voters will decide on the fate of 24 lawmakers from Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), in a recall campaign started by civic groups who accuse the lawmakers of cozying up to Beijing, which views the island as its own territory.
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The KMT denies being pro-Beijing, but says it needs to keep lines of communication with China open, and has denounced the recalls as a “malicious” attack on democracy that does not respect the results of last year’s parliamentary election.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Chinese state media have repeatedly commented on the recall vote and used some of the same talking points as the Kuomintang, Reuters reported this week.
In a post on Facebook citing the Reuters report and research by Taiwan’s IORG, which analyses Chinese state media reports, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said it “rejects the Chinese Communist Party’s intervention”.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to interfere with Taiwan’s democratic operation is evident and clear,” it said.
“Recall in Taiwan is a civil right guaranteed by the constitution, and it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide who should or should not be removed from office.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. It has also not responded to questions submitted last week by Reuters about the recall and whether China was seeking to interfere in the outcome.
The recall campaign has been happening against a backdrop of China ramping up its own military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert territorial claims that Taiwan resolutely rejects.
Reporting By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Stephen Coates
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All options on the table if Israel does not deliver on Gaza pledges, EU’s Kallas says
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas: “The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible” Earlier this month, Kallas said Israel had agreed to expand humanitarian access to Gaza. On Monday, two dozen Western countries called for Israel to immediately end its war in Gaza. Israel’s foreign ministry called Monday’s statement “disconnected from reality” and said it would send the wrong message to Hamas.
BRUSSELS, July 22 (Reuters) – All options are on the table if Israel does not deliver on its pledges to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza , the European Union’s top diplomat said on Tuesday.
“The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote in a post on X, adding that she spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar “to recall our understanding on aid flow and made clear that IDF must stop killing people at distribution points.”
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Earlier this month, Kallas said Israel had agreed to expand humanitarian access to Gaza, including increasing the number of aid trucks, crossing points and routes to distribution hubs.
“All options remain on the table if Israel doesn’t deliver on its pledges,” Kallas said.
On Monday, two dozen Western countries called for Israel to immediately end its war in Gaza and criticized what they described as “inhumane killing” of Palestinians, saying it was “horrifying” that more than 800 civilians had been killed while seeking aid.
Israel’s foreign ministry called Monday’s statement “disconnected from reality” and said it would send the wrong message to Hamas.
Gaza health officials have said more than 59,000 Palestinians have died during the 21-month conflict in Gaza.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Bernadette Baum
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Japan’s PM Ishiba denies talk he will quit following election drubbing
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied talk on Wednesday that he would quit after a bruising upper house election defeat. The 68-year-old leader said media reports that he had already decided to resign were “completely unfounded” If he does go, his departure will trigger a succession battle within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it contends with challenges from new political parties that are stealing its support. The new leader is unlikely to call a general election straight away, instead holding off on strengthening the party’s appeal before seeking a mandate from voters.
TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied talk on Wednesday that he would quit after a source and media reports said he plans to step down following a bruising upper house election defeat.
The 68-year-old leader said media reports that he had already decided to resign were “completely unfounded.”
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Ishiba chose not to quit straight after the election to prevent political instability as an August 1 deadline for clinching a trade deal with the U.S. approached, a source close to the prime minister said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to talk to the media.
Ishiba and Trump unveiled a trade deal on Tuesday that lowers tariffs on imports of Japanese autos and spares Tokyo punishing new levies on other goods.
Ishiba will announce his resignation next month, Japanese media reported earlier.
If he does go, his departure less than a year after taking office will trigger a succession battle within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it contends with challenges from new political parties, particularly on the right, that are stealing its support.
Among them is the “Japanese First” Sanseito far-right group which surged in Sunday’s vote, growing its representation in the 248-seat upper house to 14 from one. The party has attracted voters with pledges to curb immigration, slash taxes, and provide financial relief to households squeezed by rising prices.
Ishiba defeated hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi in a party leadership runoff last year. Whoever succeeds him as head of the LDP would have to govern without a majority in either house of parliament following the government’s lower house election defeat in October.
Any new leader’s immediate priority will be to secure support from enough opposition party lawmakers to win confirmation as prime minister.
An incoming leader is unlikely to call a general election straight away, instead holding off on strengthening the party’s appeal before seeking a mandate from voters, the source said.
Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama, Leika Kihara and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan
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