It is Difficult to See Japan's Right-Wing Shift Weakening Despite the LDP's Poor Performance
In the Japanese House of Representatives election held on the 27th, the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) recorded its worst election result in 15 years, while hardline right-wing minor opposition parties made gains. The reduction in LDP seats and the increase in seats for the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party make it difficult to interpret this as a moderation of Japan's rightward shift.
Naoki Hyakuda, leader of the Japanese Conservative Party. Photo by Yonhap News
According to local media such as the Asahi Shimbun on the 28th, the Japan Conservative Party won 3 seats?1 constituency seat and 2 proportional representation seats?entering the National Diet for the first time.
The Japan Conservative Party is a political organization established last October under the ideology of "protecting Japan's national polity and traditional culture," led by Naoki Hyakuda, a broadcast writer and novelist known to have close ties with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
It is known to have been launched in response to opposition against the "LGBT Understanding Promotion Law" discussed during the Fumio Kishida administration.
Notably, Hyakuda is a known anti-Korean figure whose name has already been circulated several times in South Korea.
In 2017, during escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, he posted on his Twitter (now X) that "in a state of war, Zainichi (Korean residents in Japan) become enemy nationals, so they can be crushed and killed without hesitation," causing anxiety among the Zainichi Korean community.
He frequently appeared on the Japanese current affairs program "Truth Doramon News" on DHC Television, which has often been embroiled in controversies over anti-Korean content.
The right-wing oriented Sanseit? also won 3 seats in this election, all through proportional representation.
Founded in 2000, Sanseit? is a political organization classified by Japanese researchers as far-right or right-wing, based on xenophobic conspiracy theories such as Japan being in crisis due to foreign domination.
Sohei Kamiya, the leader of Sanseit?, has been a member of the House of Councillors since 2022.
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