LATEST POLLS PUT APATHY ABOVE STATUS QUO ABOVE "FASCISM"

Sohei Kamiya of Sanseito

People expecting the Japanese House of Councillors election on July 20th to shake things up will be sorely disappointed, according to most opinion polls. The House of Councillors is the "upper house," the Japanese equivalent to the US Senate or the British House of Lords.

A recent poll by NHK for example, shows 2/5th of voters are undecided while the Liberal Democratic Party remains well in front of its rivals. Factoring out the undecided and apathetic voters who will stay away, the numbers are round about where they were back in 2022 when the last House of Councillors election was held. 

No Party or Undecided 42.3%

Liberal Democratic Party 24%

Constitutional Democratic Party 7.8%

Sanseito 5.9%

Democratic Party for the People 4.9%

Komeito 3.5%

Innovation Party 3.1%

Communist Party 3.0%

Reiwa 2.8%

Conservative Party 1.4%

Social Democratic Party 0.7%

Others 0.7%

The only real point of interest is the relative rise of Sanseito (literally the "Political Participation Party") an "ultraconservative," "populist," "anti-immigrant," or "neo-fascist" party, depending on your point of view, that is challenging the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party to become the second biggest party, but still well behind the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party and the general apathy of Japanese voters.