Cult-like Nation

The snap election for the Lower House resulted in an unprecedented landslide victory for the LDP. I am deeply concerned that Japan’s decline will accelerate further.

Since November 2025, when her comments about a Taiwanese military emergency led to tension between Japan and China, China has been demanding that she withdraw those comments, but Japan does not seem willing to comply. Furthermore, the Japanese yen is losing its credibility due to Takaichi’s economic and treasury policies, as well as the 2026 budget bill.

Doubts about Takaichi’s qualities to be prime minister

Firstly, she is a liar. A shameless one at that. She doesn't care about obvious contradictions between her previous and current remarks or behavior. Her terrible comments in the budget committees in 2023 were recorded in the video and the official minutes. However, many people don’t know about her lies and terrible comments.

She has also allegedly made false statements about her career. Although it is true that she moved to the United States in 1987 to work as an assistant to Democratic congresswoman Pat Schroeder, sponsored by the Matsushita Institute, her status as a 'congressional fellow' has been called into question. In fact, many journalists and scholars have pointed this out.

Secondly, she lacks knowledge of economics and diplomacy. For example, she is unaware that the Prime Minister must comply with treaties and international laws that underpin diplomacy. She also seems to think that devaluing the yen is good for export businesses, ignoring the fact that import costs are causing material and energy prices to rise sharply. Furthermore, despite the significant impact of inflation on people's everyday lives, she is proposing a substantial increase in the 2026 budget.

Thirdly, she will exploit anything to achieve her goals. She uses her femininity to increase her popularity. Much of the expectation surrounding her stems from her being the first female Prime Minister, rather than from her competence. She also used her illness as an excuse to cancel a TV programme on which she was due to discuss policy with other politicians before the election. There are people with the same illness — rheumatoid arthritis — who question her behaviour and the way she explains her symptoms.

These three points alone should disqualified Takaichi from becoming prime minister. Ethically, she should not hold such an important position. (There are more episodes that prove her disqualification. )

Unfairness of this election

It has always been unclear whether a prime minister has the authority to decide when to hold a snap election. There are some scholars who think it is unconstitutional. However, without a clear article of inhibition, Shinzo Abe repeatedly exploited it.

Takaichi's actions were terrible on multiple levels this time. The election should not have been held because of the term issue of the Lower House members, the harsh winter weather, shortage of preparation time and the fact that the Takaichi administration had done or offered nothing in the three months since it took office.

Lower House members were supposed to serve for four years, but this time they served for only fourteen months — less than half of the required period. Heavy snow in the north and insufficient preparation time meant that people in the northern regions, as well as those with physical disabilities and those living outside Japan, were unable to vote. Incidentally, there have only ever been two cases of a snap election being held in February since WWII.

The most important fact is that this election has delayed the start of a regular Diet session. That’s why the 2026 budget will not be passed by March. The new financial year will begin without the main budget. This is the biggest problem caused by Takaichi.

Outsourcing of the dirty parts of the election campaign

Since the Hyogo Prefectural Governor election in November 2024, the outsourcing of the 'dirty parts' of the election campaigns has become a serious problem.

Influential video streamers spread false information about a candidate in order to discredit them. Their subscribers and supporters then helped to circulate it on other platforms. They do those things to make a certain different candidate win. Whether they do it as volunteers or are hired to do it, it is the outsourcing of the dirty parts of the election.

Some people also create short versions of original videos to make a profit. These people are known as 'clippers'. They clip whatever they think will go viral and make money from it. During an election campaign, such actions could be in violation of election law, but as there is no clear prohibition, the matter remains unclear.

Similar strategies were employed by the LDP in this snap election. A large number of social media accounts may have been hired to counter the opposition and criticism. A significant proportion of these accounts could be AI-driven bots.

Emotion politics and cult-like methods

Though the existence of AI-driven bots cannot be denied, there are real, enthusiastic supporters of Takaichi. Her strict stance on China seems to please those people. However, due to the reluctance of the Japanese mainstream media to report on the negative aspects of LDP members, Takaichi’s past misconduct and racist ideology are not as widely known as they should be.

In fact, her administration will be revising the law on the foreign resident registration system. For example, fees for applying for and renewing a visa will increase and the required capital for business owners will also increase sixfold.

Despite her embarrassing display of loyalty to Trump the other day, her supporters love her aggressive approach when speaking to foreign countries, particularly China. They don’t want to accept that China is an indispensable country which supplies various materials and products, not only to Japan but also to the rest of the world.

Despite the fact that the LDP's leading administrations have carried out diplomatic policies that slavishly follow the USA and industrial and economic policies that indulge large corporations for the past seventy years, they say that the cause of Japan’s decline is foreigners and China.

I am concerned about her political stance because it reminds me of the discrimination that Japanese people showed towards China one hundred years ago. It was this discrimination that drove our ancestors to invade China, but they were defeated after fifteen years of fighting.

The LDP should be blamed more for failing to achieve independence from the US. This has resulted in the neglect of the welfare and human rights of the Japanese people, as well as the devaluation of the yen, due to misguided policies.

Takaichi is like a leader of a cult. The cult leaders utilize rhetoric of “us versus them” to make their members believe wrong doctrines. They manipulate the members while saying that we are right and they are wrong because they are our enemies.

When will thoughtless and obedient people break free from such brainwashing by the LDP?