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TOKYO – According to a European expert in comparative politics, rising right-wing Japanese populist parties have been acting as “political entrepreneurs,” stoking anxieties over issues that do not align with the nation’s actual circumstances.

Daniele Caramani, a professor at the University of Zurich, stated that it is still uncertain if these parties’ increases in public support and political influence will last. However, he noted that their perspectives might be gaining focus during a shift in Japan’s generations, as concerns about the nation’s past militarism decrease.

Although rhetoric focusing on “national identity” and resistance to immigration reflects patterns seen in Europe and the United States, the specific conditions in Japan are significantly different, according to Caramani, an Italian academic, who mentioned this during a recent conversation with Kyodo News in Tokyo.

His comments followed the populist Sanseito party, recognized for its “Japanese First” slogan, increasing its influence in the Feb. 8 House of Representatives election by securing 15 seats, an increase from the two it previously had, and maintaining the growth observed in the July 2025 House of Councillors vote.

Another minor opposition group, the Japanese Conservative Party, which has opposed Japan’s allowance of foreign workers on visas, arguing that it essentially paves the way for immigration, gained recognition after securing two seats in last year’s upper house election, even though it lost its only lower house seat in this month’s voting.

However, Caramani contended that although the language is recognizable, there is “no actual immigration” in Japan. “This indicates that these parties are truly political entrepreneurs. They fabricate a ‘reality,’ but occasionally it doesn’t exist.”

As per information from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2024, approximately 3 percent of Japan’s population consists of foreign residents, a figure significantly below that seen in most other developed countries, where the proportion is 10 percent or higher.

Nevertheless, there have been reports of foreigners misusing public services or exhibiting problematic behavior in Japan, drawing attention and prompting groups such as Sanseito to exploit these concerns, positioning themselves as adopting a stringent approach.

Caramani stated it is challenging to foresee if Sanseito can maintain its momentum, but cautioned that global events like U.S. President Donald Trump’s influence over Greenland could lead individuals to start perceiving exclusive nationalism as “hazardous.”

If you adopt the stance of ‘your country first,’ you could end up being quite isolated,” Caramani remarked, casting doubt on whether such concepts can sustain long-term public backing in smaller countries that are in a precarious situation within a “world of predators” where “might makes right.

Caramani also mentioned that nationalism, which has been regarded as “taboo” in Japan for a long time because of its wartime past, could be making a comeback as a result of a shift in generations — a trend he notes is similar to what is happening in Europe.

In the lower house election, the Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, recognized for her conservative political position and aggressive security policies, achieved a historic overwhelming win by securing more than two-thirds of the majority.

Caramani received the renowned Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research in 2004.