Japan’s far-right Sanseito party is building an international network to strengthen its domestic influence by engaging with allies of U.S. President Donald Trump and right-wing groups across Europe. Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the party rose to prominence by spreading vaccine conspiracies and criticizing global elites. Sanseito’s fiery rhetoric on immigration and its warnings of a “silent invasion” helped it secure 15 seats in Japan’s upper house election, making it a rising force in Japanese politics.
Led by Sohei Kamiya, the party established an international division in Tokyo to advance its global strategy. Kamiya argues that Japan can no longer chart its future in isolation and believes international recognition will help bypass Japan’s establishment-friendly media. Party officials confirmed ongoing efforts to connect with prominent conservative figures abroad, including Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, and European leaders from Germany’s AfD and other nationalist movements.
Sanseito has already hosted U.S. conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in Tokyo before his untimely death, and it is pursuing further collaboration with American right-wing groups. Public disclosures reveal that former Trump campaign staffer Matthew Braynard has facilitated outreach efforts on Kamiya’s behalf. Bannon described the party as potentially “revolutionary” in Japanese politics, while Carlson expressed support for its anti-immigration stance.
With Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) facing leadership turmoil, Sanseito is positioning itself as the country’s most popular opposition group, surpassing the Constitutional Democratic Party in recent polls. The party aims to win 30 to 40 seats in the lower house, enough to submit legislation and potentially enter into power-sharing deals. While Sanseito mirrors Trump’s populist style with its “Japanese First” slogan, Kamiya emphasizes that his movement is not blindly aligned with Trump, stressing a more consensus-driven approach suited to Japanese political culture.