Editor's note: This is an opinion piece. Suspicions and allegations mentioned in it are presented as the writer's views or as claims made by others, and have not been independently verified.

Profile of Taro Yamamoto and Reiwa Shinsengumi

Who Is Taro Yamamoto?

Many of you will have heard the name Taro Yamamoto. From Hyogo Prefecture and 46 years old at the time of writing, he is known as a Japanese politician, activist, actor and TV personality — and leader of Reiwa Shinsengumi.

Career

From 1991 to 2011 he worked as an actor; his best-known role is Shogo Kawada in the film Battle Royale. In April 2011 he began campaigning against nuclear power. In 2012 he ran in the 46th House of Representatives election, ultimately as an independent in Tokyo's 8th district, and lost; his campaign was produced by Masashi Saito. He then won a seat in the 2013 House of Councillors election, and his career as a politician began.

In 2019 he launched Reiwa Shinsengumi, and two candidates with severe disabilities were elected to the Diet. In 2020 he ran for governor of Tokyo but lost to Yuriko Koike by a wide margin. As this shows, he is active not only in politics but was originally a TV personality and actor.

Taro Yamamoto and Reiwa Shinsengumi

Yamamoto founded Reiwa Shinsengumi on April 1, 2019, aiming to field several candidates, including himself, in the 25th House of Councillors election that year. Why “Shinsengumi”? He explains that it's “to become a party newly chosen for a new era.”

Regarding opposition cooperation for the next Lower House election, he said he wanted “cutting the consumption tax to 5% to be a common policy,” and that if the main opposition parties wouldn't agree, “we should be ready to do it alone.” His policies clearly put abolishing the consumption tax front and centre, together with progressive corporate taxation and proactive fiscal spending.

How Taro Yamamoto Is Seen

Yamamoto blossomed as a politician under the patronage of Ichiro Ozawa, so you can't talk about Yamamoto without talking about Ozawa. The writer sees Ozawa as a revolutionary with left-wing, communist-leaning views; Ozawa once famously described himself, in a remark about the Chinese Communist Party, as a “field army commander,” and he is regarded as dangerous by people on the right as a politician convenient for the CCP.

So, given Yamamoto's statements such as “phase out nuclear power” and “let's get along with China,” he is seen as strongly left-leaning, and it is said that far-left people support him. Yamamoto himself, however, says he strongly dislikes categorizing people. For these reasons, people on the right tend to see him as far-left and a communist sympathizer, and regard him as dangerous.

His Economic Theory Is Sound

However, Yamamoto's economic theory is entirely sound — a strength missing from Shinzo Abe and the LDP, who call themselves conservative. So some economically literate conservatives on the right agree with and support only his economic policy. Because this reflects a structural problem on Japan's right, we have the very unusual situation of right-wingers supporting the left-wing Yamamoto. Conversely, most right-wing politicians are economically illiterate, and most on the right applaud outrageous claims such as “we need further tax increases for national defence” — a sorry state of affairs.

Questions About Links to the Chinese Communist Party

In a speech Yamamoto said, “China is our neighbour, so we must get along.” It sounds reasonable, but because, in the writer's view, China's influence operations in Japan have become a serious crisis, some people worry that Yamamoto, like Ozawa, may be working in the CCP's interests. Questions have also been raised about whether Reiwa Shinsengumi's campaign funds receive indirect support from CCP-linked groups. The writer argues this can't be ruled out given Ozawa's ties, and that political funding reports should be examined carefully.

Questions About Links to the “Deep State”

There are also rumours that he receives support from agents of the Rockefeller-linked “deep state”. Where the large sums for campaigning come from is a fair question, and the writer speculates that such agents might back Reiwa Shinsengumi as a contrarian bet on Japan's future. Here too, the writer says, rather than being swayed by rumours, political funding reports and money flows should be properly analysed.

What I Think About Taro Yamamoto and Reiwa Shinsengumi

I strongly support Reiwa Shinsengumi's fiscal policy. Austerity and the Ministry of Finance problem are that critical for Japan, so supporting Yamamoto, aware of the political risks, is entirely a valid option. Even if Yamamoto and the far-left people around him have problems, I support him to a degree, because the economy is Japan's bottleneck and almost no conservative party tackles economic issues correctly.

But politics is difficult and complex, and compromise may sometimes be necessary. Just as a politician I like may be disliked by someone else, no politician can be supported 100%, and I don't support Yamamoto 100% either. It's natural that some politicians say good things before elections to win every vote — in the writer's view, Shinzo Abe talked of “taking Japan back” while selling it to foreign interests. So judging whether politicians are lying is crucial.

Doubts About His Flamboyant Campaign Performances

Yamamoto's speeches are superb — as a former actor he is very eloquent, a talent ordinary politicians could never match. In a past election he fielded nine House of Councillors candidates by the day before official campaigning began, centred on socially vulnerable people: people with severe disabilities, sexual minorities, temporary workers and Soka Gakkai members who opposed Komeito's line.

Every candidate probably has passionate supporters. But many people also wonder whether Reiwa Shinsengumi's performances are excessive stunts to gain power. So it seems many people can't feel 100% positive about the party's image, even if what it says is right.

Finally

I've talked at length about Taro Yamamoto's career and political activities and my thoughts. Thank you for reading this far. As I said, Yamamoto is a politician of rare potential and many roles — something I've rarely seen, and very fresh. Truly fitting for a party aiming to be “newly chosen for a new era.”

Politics is complex and difficult, and there's far more about its realities that I don't understand (such as pressure from the “deep state”...). But while politicians do the politics, we, the people, choose them. Many young people don't vote these days; I'm young too, but I intend to vote whenever I can. Voting without studying doesn't mean much — ignorance is the scariest thing. So I'll do my research before I vote.

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