Sanseito Has a Trans Problem

A politician representing Japan's populist party in Okinawa has, predictably, weighed in on trans awareness with entirely unoriginal, recycled rhetoric. What else? From Mainichi Shinbun: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250914/p2g/00m/0na/005000c In the run-up to parliamentary elections in July (in which Sanseito perfomed extremely well, especially among young voters), a university student I teach expressed his support for this pack of bigots. I gently suggested that its 日本人ファスト slogan and statements by party chief Kamiya (including slurs referring to Korean residents of Japan) were anti-foreigner, as widely reported in the media; there's nothing subtle about Sanseito. The student brushed aside my observation, insisting such was not the case. It was bizarre and unsettling, as though I were watching synapses engaging in cognitive dissonance or doublethink in real time.