TOKYO -- Populist upstart party Sanseito, which has gained traction with a "Japanese First" message, is in hot water after reports that one of its candidates for Sunday's upper house election did an interview with Russian state-owned media.
Russian news agency Sputnik posted on its Japanese X social media account a video interview with Saya, a political newcomer running for the Tokyo upper house district. The video has spread through reposts and other digital channels.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya has called on the party staff involved with the interview to resign, and other Japanese parties are voicing concern that Russia may be using Sanseito to interfere in the election.
Sputnik is thought to have acted as a political tool for Russia. U.S. and European authorities have alleged that the agency spreads disinformation and propaganda on behalf of Moscow.
In September 2024, Washington imposed sanctions on multiple Russian media outlets including Sputnik's parent organization. The European Union banned Sputnik from operating within the bloc in March 2022, just after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Sanseito advocates a "Japanese First" platform, pledging to tighten restrictions on foreign nationals. In the interview, Saya emphasized the importance of protecting Japanese traditions. Some view Sputnik's coverage of the party as a way to divide public opinion over the place of overseas nationals in Japan.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said at a Wednesday news conference that "Japan is also becoming a target" of foreign election interference through social media and other means.
Masaaki Taira, Japan's minister for digital transformation, said on Tuesday that interference through social media "has the effect of both polarizing society and radicalizing [opinions]." He said there "have been some reports" of overseas interference in the upper house election while stressing the need for verification.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Toshihiro Kitamura said on Wednesday that Japan is working on using artificial intelligence to analyze internet trends, including identifying overseas efforts involving information manipulation.
Other parties began to hammer on the topic of Russian election interference following the Sanseito interview.
"We've already raised this as an issue in the Diet, so we want to investigate it first," Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, said on social media.
"We are considering an investigation by experts," posted Itsunori Onodera, a senior official in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "As seen in the U.S. election, it is a grave crime against democratic politics."
Election interference has emerged as an issue in countries worldwide, with multiple examples in 2024 alone.
In the U.S., Russia was suspected of conducting information operations during the 2024 presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump. In Romania's presidential election, a little-known pro-Russia candidate was leading until the Constitutional Court annulled the vote over suspicions of foreign interference. In Taiwanese elections, some have alleged that China spreads disinformation.
Using the internet to destabilize another society is viewed as a "gray zone tactic," moves that do not amount to armed attacks.
"Each branch of the Self-Defense Forces is working to strengthen its analytical capabilities for information warfare," Defense Ministry spokesperson Kimihito Aguin said on Tuesday. "We will work closely with all relevant ministries and agencies."
In a Tuesday interview, Sanseito's Kamiya said he had urged all party staff involved with the Sputnik interview to resign. "We must not fall victim to any country's cognitive warfare," he said, calling for the enactment of an anti-espionage law.
"The rank-and-file party staff on the ground did it of their own initiative," he said of the Sputnik interview on X.
