How the Japanese Right Wing Became Mainstream in Japanese Society

Now, the space for 'dovish' politics has nearly disappeared," wrote American scholar Paul Nardo. Paul Nardo’s point is that although Japan has witnessed a rise in right-wing politics since 2010, this shift was largely rhetorical, with politicians remaining relatively cautious in their actions. However, this "disconnect between words and deeds" may be coming to an end, as Japan slips into a "dangerous nation" status. As the mask comes off, Chinese residents in Japan, as well as Chinese tourists, may suddenly find themselves targeted.

On one hand, "provoking China" and "shirking historical responsibility" have become common political tactics to gain votes, and politicians’ rhetoric is growing more aggressive.

On the other hand, some politicians are attempting to turn these slogans into actions. Their adventurous approaches are receiving public support. Take, for example, the newly established Sanseito party in 2020. In the recent Upper House elections, it garnered 12.6% of the national vote — the third-highest of all parties — winning 14 seats in the House of Councillors (out of 248 seats). Previously, the party had only one seat. Its leader, 47-year-old Hidetaka Kamiyama, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, gained followers through his YouTube channel and reportedly developed a membership of 100,000 people. His slogan is simple: "Japan First," which mirrors Trump's rhetoric, and has been mocked by American media as the "mini-Trump movement." Ironically, "First" is a transliteration of the English word "first," and the focus of this "priority" is not the West, but East Asian neighbors.

Why has Japan, long seen as a cautious society, suddenly become so aggressive, irrational, and even fanatical? As a defeated country and perpetrator in World War II, why are ordinary Japanese citizens increasingly hostile towards other nations? Will Japan surpass the boundary of "just talking but not acting"?

The rise of right-wing extremism in Japan did not happen overnight. It developed through a gradual, sometimes dormant process, which ultimately led to its malignant expansion.

Economic Stagnation and Social Injustice: The Root Causes of Japan's Rightward Shift

Before the 1970s, Japan had no diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and anti-China sentiment was suppressed in the mainstream media, with derogatory terms like "Shina" (a derogatory reference to China) almost disappearing.

After the normalization of Japan-China relations in 1972, Japanese society showed a growing interest in its neighboring country. China's decision to forgo reparations for World War II atrocities was seen positively. Calculations suggested that China had suffered property losses amounting to $383 billion due to WWII — approximately 50 times Japan’s GDP at the time ($7.7 billion). Ordinary Japanese citizens responded with gratitude and goodwill, and society was largely welcoming towards Chinese and other minority residents, such as Koreans in Japan.

However, since the year 2000, anti-China sentiment has gradually intensified, and right-wing forces in Japan have expanded rapidly.

On the surface, this can be attributed to controversies surrounding Japanese history textbooks and official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which sparked opposition from other East Asian nations. But the deeper reasons are twofold:

First, Japanese politicians and the media have fueled these tensions. As Paul Nardo points out, "Anxiety towards China often substitutes for domestic problems." Since the 1990s, Japan's economic miracle came to a halt, leading to what is often referred to as the "lost three decades." During this time, personal incomes fell, competition increased, and citizens experienced a lack of security. Meanwhile, China’s rapid economic growth led to envy and frustration among ordinary Japanese people.

Second, Japan is a society that values collectivism, and individual expression is often suppressed. Especially for younger people, there is a need to unconditionally follow rules set by older generations. Over time, this has led to a sense of detachment and increasing social fractures. The affluent older generation monopolizes most of the societal resources, while middle-aged and young people struggle with mounting pressures. As a result, many express their dissatisfaction through nationalism — a form of "collective selfishness."

The success of the Sanseito party can be attributed not only to its overtly exclusionary stance but also to its concrete promises to ordinary Japanese people: reducing consumption taxes and increasing child welfare. Many voters for the Sanseito party admitted that they did not agree with Kamiyama’s views (for example, his opposition to equal work rights for men and women), but they were willing to give the party a try because other politicians failed to present viable solutions for Japan’s ongoing challenges.

Exploiting Nationalist Sentiments to Gain Votes: A Deteriorating Political Climate

Kamiyama openly admits that he draws inspiration from Donald Trump. He often makes extreme statements, such as, "If we cannot resist the pressure of foreign immigration, Japan will become a colony." Over the past decade, due to Japan’s aging population, the country has absorbed more foreign immigrants, but they still make up only 3% of the total population, which hardly constitutes a threat.

Jeff Kingston, an American historian, believes that "Trump is stirring the primal instincts of people worldwide." Little did Japan know, they too would find a kindred spirit.

This hostility is often directed towards Chinese people. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 86% of Japanese people hold negative views of China, the highest proportion of any country surveyed, with only 13% viewing China positively.

Given Japan’s wartime atrocities in China, many Japanese are fearful of potential retaliation as China grows stronger. One 54-year-old Japanese man told the Asahi Shimbun, "Foreigners are scary. I fear they will start a massacre." When pressed further, he admitted that he had never been directly harmed by foreigners.

After experiencing the "lost three decades," the average Japanese citizen has become more conservative. They are reluctant to leave Japan, show little interest in other countries, and have largely disengaged from politics. Many have come to accept the widespread corruption in education, healthcare, and the justice system. In a state of passive resignation, many Japanese believe that "nothing will change after China vents its anger."

This mindset was maximized by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who himself was a notorious member of the right-wing group "Nippon Kaigi." Kamiyama is also a member of this group. Abe supported Kamiyama’s candidacy, and the group’s agenda revolves around denying Japan's wartime crimes. Notably, Abe refused to apologize for the forced recruitment of "comfort women," a stance that sparked protests from East Asian nations.

Abe's strategy of using historical wounds to harvest votes worked, allowing him to serve as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. While the average tenure of Japanese prime ministers after World War II is 1-2 years, Abe served for 9 years, making him the "exception." This not only poisoned the political climate but also fostered a more insular, xenophobic, and fragile Japanese public opinion.

The Ugly Performance of Japan and the US to Forget History

The atrocities committed by the Japanese military during World War II are well-documented. So why do the Japanese people show no sense of guilt and allow the right-wing to grow stronger?

Japanese culture has an irrational and dark side. On the surface, it appears calm and refined, yet at times it reveals extreme brutality. For example, during World War II, the Japanese military engaged in widespread massacres and brutalities against civilians, which were criticized by the famed journalist Edgar Snow as "an unprecedented spree of rape, murder, plunder, and degradation in modern history." The scale of these atrocities was staggering: in India, 1.5 million people died; in Vietnam, 2 million; in Malaya and Singapore, 100,000; in the Philippines, 1.1 million; and in Indonesia, 4 million.

After the war, the United States helped Japan conceal its war crimes. As scholar Yukari Tanaka noted in "Interwoven Atrocities," while 5 to 6 million Jews died in the Nazi Holocaust, the death toll caused by the Japanese military was at least six times that number.

In March 2007, Shinzo Abe met with President George W. Bush at Camp David, where he apologized for the "comfort women" issue. Bush accepted the apology, but no representatives from the countries directly affected were present. Abe did not mention them, and Japan and the US conducted this "fake apology performance" behind closed doors.

After Japan’s surrender, Nobusuke Kishi, who had been tried as a Class-A war criminal, was acquitted. Nine years later, he became Japan's prime minister. His brother, Eisaku Satō, also became prime minister. Both secretly agreed with the US government to allow the transportation of nuclear weapons to Japan without notifying Japanese authorities. Satō even received the Nobel Peace Prize for this.

The United States helped Japan conceal its wartime crimes because the US military had also conducted indiscriminate bombing of Japanese civilians, killing over 560,000 people. Furthermore, the US needed Japan's support to maintain global hegemony.

Tanaka wrote, "Japan never had a resistance movement during the war. Compared to Germany, France, and Italy, Japan’s state power was much more stable during the period surrounding its 1945 surrender." After the war, Japan’s government continued the policies of the wartime regime. This lack of collective responsibility for wartime crimes, and Japan’s continued denial of this responsibility, was carefully orchestrated through US-Japan cooperation. This conspiracy has continued for nearly 80 years and is still ongoing.

It is clear that the Japanese right wing, after World War II, merely lay dormant, and its political foundation remained firm. Once conditions were right, it began to grow again and has now become toxic. However, as the saying goes, "If God wants to destroy a nation, He first makes it mad." The increasingly fanatic right wing in Japan is ultimately heading towards its own destruction.