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Trump-inspired ‘Japanese first’ politician shakes up nation’s establishment
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Japanese populist Sohei Kamiya stunned many in the country when his Sanseitō party won 14 seats in Japan’s Upper House elections last week.
«From supermarket manager to bright political star … populism has hit the shores of Japan like a tsunami,» Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital about 47-year-old Kamiya’s surprise achievement.
Holding 15 of 248 Upper House seats is not sufficient for Kamiya’s party to submit legislation. However, polling data shows Sanseitō’s impact with younger voters, as Kyodo News reported that more than 20% of voters from 18 to 40 voted for his party.
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Japan’s Sanseito Party leader Sohei Kamiya poses with his lawmakers during the party’s rally in Tokyo on July 21, 2025, a day after the upper house election. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
Inspired by President Donald Trump’s leadership style, Kamiya’s rise has largely been attributed to his social media savvy. He snagged his earliest followers through his opposition to «blanket mask mandates, mass PCR testing, and vaccine requirements» during the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan Forward reported.
Kamiya has also adopted a spin-off of Trump’s MAGA motto, proclaiming «Japanese first» as his party promises to strengthen Japan’s culture, birth rates and food sufficiency, while finding solutions for its reliance on immigration.
Though the Western media has characterized Kamiya as far-right, fringe or xenophobic, Lance Gatling, a principal at Nexial Research, Tokyo, told Fox News Digital that while Kamiya’s goals of «protecting Japan, growing Japan, and educating Japan» are «fairly populist,» they do not represent «a radical move towards the right wing.»
In fact, Gatling said many in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japanese politics for decades, «are more right-wing than Sanseitō.» Gatling described members of Kamiya’s party as «pretty reasonable.»
Gaitlin said that Kamiya, formerly a reservist in the Self-Defense Forces and an English teacher, «doesn’t appear to be playing.» Kamiya «has been honing his message for some time,» Gatling said.
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Japan’s Sanseito Party leader Sohei Kamiya delivers a speech during the party’s rally in Tokyo on July 21, 2025, a day after the upper house election. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)
Some critics have expressed particular concern over what they call Kamiya’s anti-immigration stance. Immigration, however, has become a chief issue for the island nation. When former President Joe Biden called Japan «xenophobic» for failing to increase immigration in May 2024, Kamiya responded on social media. «It’s not that we’re xenophobic, we are being cautious after seeing your failures,» Kamiya said. «You are meddling too much in our internal affairs.»
Gatling says categorizing the Japanese as xenophobic «just doesn’t ring true.» He explained that the country has «one of the most astonishing cultures in history,» formed by adopting Western culture and enriching it to create «a completely unique culture that has tremendous appeal around the world.»
Gatling says Kamiya is aiming for a return to traditional cultural values, while also lowering taxes and increasing food self-sufficiency, which is currently the lowest rate of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development nations at 38%.
President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, 2025. (Getty Images)
The rice trade would be critical to this arrangement, with Sanseitō eager to curb imports of U.S. rice. At present, imports of U.S. rice are set to increase by 75%, thanks to a $550 billion trade deal President Donald Trump signed with Japan on July 22.
Another possible friction point in the future might be Sanseitō’s desire to turn the nation’s farmers into public sector employees, Gatling admitted. «The agriculture bloc is one of the most powerful in the LDP,» he explained. «I’m not sure how many of the farmers want to be public sector employees.»
While he says that it is too early to determine the future of Sanseitō in Japanese politics, Gatling said Kamiya has stated he is not «interested in building a coalition government.» Gatling believes the party’s future will hinge on preparations for subsequent elections and demonstrating that «they have reasonable policies.»
Chang said Sanseitō’s win was a loss for the LDP, which he says has «been adrift» since Abe’s 2020 resignation and subsequent 2022 assassination. Current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba «is weak and unpopular,» and the LDP now finds itself «in the minority in both houses of the Diet for the first time since the party was formed in 1955,» Chang said. «Ishiba is naturally catching the blame.»
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While the political waves leave Japan «rudderless,» Chang said to «expect Sanseitō to only get stronger, which means Japan will turn inward. Around the world, societies have had enough of large foreign populations that do not assimilate, so we should not be surprised that Kamiya will become even more influential.
«Change occurs slowly in Japan until it happens all at once. Japan is now on the verge of an all-at-once moment,» Chang said.
El acuerdo entre la Unión Europea y Estados Unidos evitó una guerra comercial y fue celebrado por los jefes de gobierno y altos funcionarios del bloque como una victoria diplomática con efectos inmediatos en sectores clave.
El nuevo marco fija un arancel máximo del 15 % para la mayoría de las exportaciones europeas, reemplazando el 30 % que Washington amenazaba con imponer a partir del 1 de agosto. El acuerdo también prevé nuevas compras europeas de energía y equipamiento militar estadounidenses.
El canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz, expresó su satisfacción por el resultado de las negociaciones entre Ursula von der Leyen y Donald Trump, que tuvieron lugar en el complejo de golf del presidente estadounidense en Turnberry, Escocia.
“Es positivo que Europa y EEUU hayan llegado a un consenso y eviten así una innecesaria escalada en las relaciones comerciales transatlánticas”, declaró. Subrayó que el entendimiento aleja el riesgo de un conflicto que habría afectado severamente a la economía alemana, especialmente a su industria automovilística, donde los aranceles bajarán del 27,5 % al 15 %.
Desde Bruselas, la presidenta del Parlamento Europeo, Roberta Metsola, también valoró el acuerdo como un “paso importante” hacia el fortalecimiento de la asociación con Estados Unidos. Aseguró que la Eurocámara revisará el texto para asegurar que responde a los intereses de las empresas y consumidores del bloque.
El anuncio oficial de la Comisión confirmó que el nuevo arancel del 15 % cubrirá sectores como automóviles, semiconductores y productos farmacéuticos, aunque este último fue inicialmente excluido por Trump en sus declaraciones.
El entendimiento incluye también la eliminación de aranceles sobre una serie de productos estratégicos, entre ellos componentes aeroespaciales, ciertos químicos, recursos naturales, productos agrícolas y materias primas. Según Von der Leyen, ambas partes seguirán trabajando para ampliar esta lista.
Desde Dublín, el primer ministro irlandés, Micheál Martin, celebró que el acuerdo proporcione “claridad y previsibilidad” a la relación comercial entre ambos bloques. “Ayudará a proteger muchos empleos en Irlanda”, sostuvo. Reconoció que las negociaciones fueron complejas y advirtió que el nuevo marco incluye algunos gravámenes más altos que los actuales. Sin embargo, consideró que inaugura una etapa de mayor estabilidad económica, crucial para los países con fuerte vínculo exportador como Irlanda.
El presidente del Consejo Europeo, António Costa, remarcó que la “determinación y unidad” de los negociadores europeos permitió cerrar un trato que protege los “intereses fundamentales” de la UE. Elogió la labor de Von der Leyen y del comisario de Comercio, Maroš Šefčovič, al tiempo que alentó a profundizar la competitividad global del bloque.
Von der Leyen reafirmó que la Unión está ampliando su red de tratados con regiones clave: “Hemos concluido negociaciones con Mercosur, México e Indonesia. En un mundo inestable, Europa es un socio confiable”.
Por su parte, el primer ministro en funciones de Países Bajos, Dick Schoof, calificó el pacto como “crucial” para una economía abierta como la neerlandesa. Recordó que su país exporta anualmente más de 50.000 millones de euros a Estados Unidos y pidió una pronta implementación del acuerdo. Aunque consideró que lo ideal habría sido la eliminación total de aranceles, sostuvo que el resultado actual brinda a las empresas mayor previsibilidad.
El acuerdo incluye también compromisos financieros por parte de la Unión Europea: 750.000 millones de dólares en compras de energía estadounidense y 600.000 millones en inversiones adicionales en el país norteamericano, además de un incremento en la adquisición de material militar fabricado en EEUU.
Los distintos líderes coincidieron en que la cooperación fue clave para alcanzar un equilibrio que evita mayores tensiones y protege el comercio bilateral.
(Con información de EFE)
Corporate Events,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe,TURNBERRY
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Tailandia y Camboya acuerdan una reunión en Malasia para negociar el fin de los combates y la disputa fronteriza
Los enfrentamientos
Vehículos militares en la provincia de Sisaket, mientras Camboya y Tailandia dijeron que el otro había lanzado ataques de artillería en áreas fronterizas en disputa la madruga. Foto ReutersTailandia,Camboya
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Freedom Caucus lawmaker Ralph Norman vows to ‘shake things up’ in South Carolina governor bid
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A lawmaker in the conservative House Freedom Caucus is launching his campaign to be governor of South Carolina.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who came to Congress in 2017, kicked off his Palmetto State bid with a Rock Hill campaign rally on Sunday.
«I am running for governor to shake things up, clean up Columbia, and finally take down the corrupt political establishment once and for all,» Norman is telling voters, according to prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. «I owe nothing to the lobbyists. I owe nothing to the Columbia bureaucratic elite. My allegiance is to you, the people of South Carolina.»
As part of his campaign platform, Norman is promising to establish a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) «commission» in the state «that roots out waste, fraud, and abuse.»
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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., is launching his campaign for governor on Sunday (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Norman is also running on the promise of fixing South Carolina’s infrastructure, implementing term limits for state lawmakers, tort reform, and pledging to «let the people vote on judges.»
Currently, a majority of state judgeships in South Carolina are decided by the General Assembly. Some positions, including magistrate judges, are appointed by the governor.
Norman is also promising «to use the bully pulpit to bring my case directly to the people» and to «use the veto pen.»
His campaign speech also touches on socially conservative goals like advocating for school choice, and restricting school bathrooms by gender at birth.
«And if that all doesn’t work, I’m telling you now that any so-called «Republican» RINO legislator that doesn’t stand for reforms the people are calling for doesn’t deserve to be in office and we’ll beat them in Republican primaries if that’s what it takes,» Norman’s speech says.
Norman is joining a crowded Republican primary field with his Sunday announcement. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are also in the race.
Meanwhile, Norman’s House colleague, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is also said to be considering a campaign for governor.
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Current Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
And in a state that President Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024, the commander-in-chief’s endorsement – both in the primary and general election – will likely be critical.
Norman pointed out in his speech that both he and Trump have a background in real estate; both men led development companies that were founded by their fathers.
«We need business leaders – people who have signed both the front and the back of a paycheck. Folks who have built something, taken risks, made money, and yes, lost money too,» Norman said. «Thankfully, we have a great businessman – and fellow developer – back in the White House! Just look what a difference President Trump has made in six months.»
He also cast himself as a disruptor who helped move «the needle by making our budget more conservative,» in reference to the House Freedom Caucus’s push to move Trump’s «big, beautiful bill» to the right.
And while the group was successful in doing that in the House, the Senate watered down several of those wins during its time considering the bill. The Senate version ultimately passed the House, with Norman and other Freedom Caucus members voting in support.
«Some say I have earned a reputation of being uncompromising, always trying to make a bill more conservative,» Norman’s speech says. «Well folks, I’ll take that as a compliment and I am proud of it.»
As a member of Congress, Norman sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, House Budget Committee, and House Rules Committee.
President Donald Trump’s endorsement will be critical in the race (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
A longtime ally of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Norman was the only House Republican to formally endorse her before Haley dropped out of the race, after which Norman backed Trump.
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He told Fox News Digital of his endorsement in January 2024, «When I supported Nikki Haley, I had the respect of Donald Trump to call him, and I told him what I was gonna do, and I decided I was going to do it.»
It’s worth noting, however, that Norman had been a vocal supporter of Trump since Haley’s exit – and unlike other House Freedom Caucus allies, he did not incur Trump’s wrath for his loyalty to Haley.
He was most recently at the White House earlier this week with other House Republicans for a reception celebrating their legislative successes.
The South Carolina gubernatorial general election will take place in November 2026.
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