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Peace and Security in Northeast Asia Policy Brief  No.243

Policy Brief No.243: The Surge of Emerging Conservative Forces In Japan’s 2025 Senate Election

Daiju Wada

August 29, 2025

Image: Ned Snowman / shutterstock

This policy brief examines the rise of the Sanseito and the Japan Conservative Party in the July 2025 Japanese Senate elections, through three key lenses: (1) public discontent with the LDP and the fragmentation of the conservative base, (2) external factors driving nationalist sentiment amid a deteriorating security environment, and (3) internal factors, including economic stagnation and rising anti-foreigner sentiment. By analyzing these dynamics, we aim to illuminate the broader political and social implications of this electoral shift.