Sanseito, a Japanese populist party that draws inspiration from Donald Trump's politics, is gaining support ahead of Sunday's upper house elections, suggesting a notable shift in the country's traditionally centrist landscape.

Populist Sanseito’s rise is eroding the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s dominance and reshaping Japan’s traditionally staid political landscape, as Maroosha Muzaffar reports

The success of the Sanseito party could reshape Japan’s domestic and foreign policy. It also aligns Japan with political trends in many other parts of the world.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office, despite exit polls indicating that his Liberal Democratic Party's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the country's upper house.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo Monday, July 21, 2025 after the prime minister's ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the upper house in a parliamentary election.