The Sanseitō Party Excluded from the National Council—A Lone Actor Holding the Key to Election Interference Countermeasures

“But our leap will support the Takaiichi administration,” he also says

Where is the Seiji Party, led by Sohei Kamiya (48), headed—?

They were refused participation in a cross-party meeting, the so-called “National Council,” which discusses and deliberates on issues such as consumption tax reductions and tax credits with benefits. On X, Kamiya wrote:

〈“We were told, ‘The Seiji Party cannot participate in the National Council because it does not support tax credits with benefits.’”〉

〈“It’s not even clear what the government’s tax credits with benefits will entail, so there’s no way we could support it at this stage. I am concerned that, in the end, it will only serve to fix the consumption tax and raise its rate.”〉

The Seiji Party has long advocated for the gradual abolition of the consumption tax.

In response, Seiji Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Ando, a member of the House of Councillors, declared retaliation on X:

〈“Since it can’t be helped, instead of participating in a ‘National Council’ run only by parties that support the ruling party, we will expose the true nature of the consumption tax in parliament and on the streets.”〉

In the recent House of Representatives election, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a landslide, capturing 316 seats—well over a simple majority. This means that if they wish, they can pass legislation almost at will. The first thing the Takaiichi-led LDP tackled was the high-cost-of-living measures promised during the election campaign, leading toward discussions on tax reductions.

To facilitate this, they established the cross-party National Council—but parties that did not support tax credits with benefits were effectively cut off beforehand.

Political commentator Harumi Arima told this site:

“Since the Seiji Party has declared its stance for gradual abolition of the consumption tax, the LDP, which is proposing only a two-year reduction on food items, naturally becomes weaker in debate. If the public starts saying, ‘The Seiji Party’s position is better,’ that would be politically risky. That’s likely why they were excluded from the National Council.”

The distance between the Seiji Party and the LDP is delicate.

Originally, the Seiji Party had actively courted the conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaiichi (64). In a January 11 press briefing before the House election, Kamiya went so far as to say:

“Seiji Party’s leap forward will help realize the policies Prime Minister Takaiichi wants to achieve.”

“Our leap will support the Takaiichi administration.”

Trouble between Supporters and Anti-Syndicalists

However, afterward, opposition arose against the Takashi administration’s immigration-accepting policy, creating a confrontational dynamic. During the House of Representatives election, the party fielded candidates not only in districts of “anti-Takashi” LDP members but also nationwide with 190 candidates, leading some to mockingly call it a “Takashi support scam.”

After the election, Kamiya emphasized regarding the party’s distance from the administration:

“Just because we’re the opposition doesn’t mean we oppose everything. We approach each policy on its merits.”

However, ruling party sources noted:

“Among senior LDP figures, there have long been concerns about the Seiji Party. Prime Minister Takashi also does not like being ideologically treated as identical to the Seiji Party. It’s unlikely that he will actively engage with them going forward.”

A key issue to watch regarding the relationship between the LDP under Takashi and the Seiji Party is election interference. During the House election period, anti-party groups disrupted Seiji Party street speeches, causing trouble.

On February 22, during a speech in Osaka City, Kamiya said:

“I plan to question the [Takashi] administration about this issue in the plenary session. Can we just leave this unchecked? This isn’t about us; it’s about the rights of the listeners, so we must protect them. That’s what it means to be a nation of laws.”

In fact, on that day, anti-party groups reportedly stormed in again.

“How Prime Minister Takashi responds to Kamiya’s request for measures against election interference will be critical. If he only gives a superficial response, the Seiji Party might finally steer itself toward an anti-Takashi stance,” said a political insider.

Although their fervor has cooled somewhat, Seiji Party supporters remain passionate. In the recent House election, the party garnered approximately 4.2 million proportional representation votes. When Kamiya gives a speech, thousands of people can gather immediately.

“Troubles between Seiji Party supporters and anti-party groups are truly frightening. Adults get their faces within about five centimeters of each other and argue loudly. Even a slight touch can escalate into accusations of violence. During the election period, police had to intervene, and even those officers were treated rudely,” reported a national newspaper journalist covering the election.

Currently in the Diet, the Seiji Party occupies a lonely position, with neither the opposition nor the ruling party engaging with them. Under the charisma of Sōhei Kamiya, how the party will deepen itself remains to be seen.