A fringe far-right populist party in Japan was one of the biggest winners in the weekend’s upper house election

Sanseito, a new far-right party with a charismatic leader, Sohei Kamiya, came up big in Japan's parliamentary election by running on an anti-immigration, nationalist platform under the slogan "Japanese First.

Populist ideals are gaining traction in Japan, spurred by right-wing politicians running rampant elsewhere railing against “elitism”, “globalism” and immigration.

Birthed on YouTube spreading Covid-19 conspiracy theories, the party broke into mainstream politics with its populist campaign.

Populist Sanseito’s rise is eroding the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s dominance and reshaping Japan’s traditionally staid political landscape, as Maroosha Muzaffar reports

In a significant political shift, Prime Minister Ishiba's coalition lost its majority in Japan's upper house, marking the first such loss for the LDP since 1955. The far-right Sanseito party gained traction with anti-immigrant rhetoric,

The Sanseito party has unusual origins, as party leader Sohei Kamiya founded the group in 2020 by gathering young nationalist supporters on YouTube. The populist party has designed itself based on groups like the MAGA,