Japanese first party Sanseito denies ties with Russia
‘Japanese-first’ party Sanseito denies ties with Russia
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alt="(FILES) This file photo taken on July 3, 2025 shows Sanseito Party secretary general Sohei Kamiya delivering a campaign speech ahead of the July 20 upper house elections in the town of Kunitomi, Miyazaki prefecture. The head of the populist Sanseito party enjoying growing suppost in Japan denied ties to Russia, after one of its candidate for the July 20 national elections gave Moscows state-run media Sputnik an interview. Asked if the party has any special ties with Russia, Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told an internet news programme on July 15, 2025 that we dont. Not at all. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT"/>Sanseito party chief Sohei Kamiya delivering a campaign speech in Miyazaki prefecture ahead of the July 20 Upper House elections.
PHOTO: AFP
JapanTokyo – A populist party surging in the polls ahead of the July 20 national elections in Japan has denied any ties to Russia, after one of its candidates gave an interview to Moscow state media.
Japanese politics has long been dominated by the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),with populist groups remaining on the fringes.
But the right-wing Sanseito party is riding a wave of popular support for its inflammatory “Japanese-first” platform, including opposition to globalism, immigration and foreign capital.
Opinion polls suggest it could win more than 10 Upper House seats, up from two now, in an election where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s coalition risks losing its majority.
Sanseito’s latest controversy surrounds a rookie candidate known only as Saya, who gave Russia’s Sputnik news agency an interview that was then published on its Japanese edition’s X account on July 14.
The sudden appearance on Sputnik sparked a storm of confusion that fuelled
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