(22 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo – 22 July 2025
1. Kamiya holding regular party briefing
2. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Sohei Kamiya, Sanseito party leader:
“There was a lot of criticism in the media regarding my statements and those of our candidates. There were things we needed to be more careful about, but the way some of those comments were taken out of context was just too extreme. Ironically, that actually fired up our supporters, including party members. In the second half of the campaign, Sanseito became the center of attention on social media platforms. As someone who was on the receiving end of the criticism, I can’t say it was a pleasant experience—but I do believe it helped raise awareness of our party, and we were able to carry momentum into the final stage of the election. That’s how I analyze it.”
3. Pan of profile photos of Sanseito candidates
4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Sohei Kamiya, Sanseito party leader:
“Many people are probably wondering whether we’ll form a coalition or cooperate with other parties, but right now, nothing has been decided at all. There are no discussions about with whom to link up with and so on. Even if we are receiving various offers, this is not the time for that. First, we need to focus on solidifying our party structure and that’s the response we’re giving for now."
5. Sanseito banner
6. Journalist listening
7. Sanseito holding news conference
8. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Sohei Kamiya, Sanseito party leader:
“I think if (Prime Minister Shigeru, ed) Ishiba had clearly stated, ‘This is what I want to do,’ things might have turned out a bit differently. We don’t think it’s clear how the Ishiba administration is different from the previous Kishida administration. So I feel that the Ishiba administration may have lacked a distinct character.”
9. Wide of news conference
10. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Tsutomu Otsu, Sanseito candidate for Saitama prefecture:
“Saitama Prefecture is one of the areas in Japan where interest in foreign resident issues is particularly high. Even for us in Sanseito, if you look at the vote share, it’s clear that turnout was higher in municipalities where concerns over foreign residents are more pronounced. This indicates that there are strong expectations for how Sanseito will address issues related to foreign nationals.”
10. Kamiya listening
STORYLINE:
The leader of Japan’s right-ring populist Sanseito said on Tuesday that media criticism of his past comments helped the party boost visibility and was one of the factors behind his party success in Sunday’s Upper House election.
"The way some of those comments were taken out of context was just too extreme. Ironically, that actually fired up our supporters, including party members said Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya during the party’s regular news conference.
“As someone who was on the receiving end of the criticism, I can’t say it was a pleasant experience—but I do believe it helped raise awareness of our party," he added.
The fringe far-right party Sanseito was one of the biggest winners in the weekend’s upper house election, attracting many voters with “Japanese First" platform that included tougher restrictions on foreigners and nationalistic education.
The Sanseito party, which had only one seat held by its leader in the 248-member upper house, the less powerful of Japan’s two chamber parliament, added 14 more seats in Sunday’s vote, apparently on the backdrop of a historic loss of a majority by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s long-ruling conservative coalition.
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