Japanese government party suffers a lot of loss, voter chooses even more right -wing

This article was last updated on July 21, 2025

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Japanese government party suffers a lot of loss, voter chooses even more right -wing

For the first time since its foundation in 1955, the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) no longer has a majority in both parliament chambers. Defeat Yesterday’s elections Is historical because the LDP rarely loses, but also because it shows that Japanese politics is shifting: voters are becoming more and more uncertain about the economy and moving at lightning speed to the right.

This morning it was confirmed that the right-wing conservative government coalition of LDP and Komeito eventually only achieved 47 of the 50 seats that were needed for a majority in the Hogerhuis, the Japanese Senate. This means that Prime Minister Ishiba’s party depends on changing support of the opposition and his position as party leader is under pressure.

Conspiracy theories

In the places where the ruling LDP lost, other right -wing parties made a big profit. The most striking of these is the radical right -wing Sanseito, a party that arose during the Coronapandemie as an internet movement and acquired fame with conspiracy theories about, among other things, vaccinations. Sanseito only achieved one seat in the previous elections. This year there were fourteen.

Party leader and former supermarket manager Sohei Kamiya is a fan of the German Alternative Für Deutschland (AfD) and with his Trump-inspired slogan “Japanese first” and warnings for a “silent invasion” of migrants a growing group of dissatisfied voters. The party mainly finds support among young men who are active on social media. The YouTube channel of Sanseito now has more than 450,000 followers, three times as much as that of the ruling LDP.

Few naturalizations

Under the LDP regime, the number of foreign residents in Japan rose from around 2.89 million in 2020 to 3.77 million at the end of 2024. Many of these migrants, however, temporarily stay in Japan, often with short -term work visa and under strict working conditions.

Gaining citizenship is particularly difficult in Japan. In 2023, around 8800 foreigners were nationalized on a population of 125 million. For comparison: in the Netherlands they were in the same year Almost 48,000 At 17 million inhabitants. Yet Sanseito demands action. The party argues for even stricter admission requirements and less labor migration.

This hard line seems to be bearing fruit. For fear of losing votes, Prime Minister Ishiba announced the establishment of a special governmental body that has to “tackle” worries about foreigners “just before the elections.

Sanseito does not shy away from economic populism either. One of the most striking spearheads of the party program is to complete the consumption tax. That is currently 10 percent on regular purchases and 8 percent on food. Experts warn that such a measure would be disastrous for the state treasury, which is already under heavy pressure.

Price of rice

Nevertheless, the proposal fits in well with the concerns of many voters. A poll by the public broadcaster NHK shows that 29 percent of the respondents are most concerned about social security and the low birth rates, followed by 28 percent who call rising food prices.

For example, one of the key themes during the election campaign was the rising rice prices. In some regions these have doubled in less than a year. Voters expressed their frustration about the lack of effective policy, which ultimately contributed to the loss of the LDP.

The uncertainty about the import duties of the United States also plays a role in this. After eight negotiation rounds, Japan has not yet succeeded in closing a deal with its most important military ally and largest foreign market. Prime Minister Ishiba hopes to do that in the short term, but with the loss of the majority in the Senate he will get even more difficult to find support.

Ishiba does not want to leave

Ishiba was aware of his falling popularity and its consequences in these elections, but refuses to resign. He acknowledges that the election results is “an extremely strict assessment”, but is also of the opinion that “the country does not benefit from political stagnation”.

Yet the support is crumbling within his own party. Former Deputy Prime Minister and LDP party member Taro ASO said he finds it incomprehensible that the prime minister will stay on. ISHIBA itself sets majorities for the time being per file and excludes an expansion of the coalition. It is unclear how long he can postpone the fall of his cabinet.