Despite a rise in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, about 1,000 mostly maskless people gathered in the Shinbashi district to hear a politician’s speech on the afternoon of Oct. 12.

“Everyone is forced to get the vaccine, right?” Manabu Matsuda, 65, a former Lower House member, told the crowd. “It’s a ‘murder weapon.’”

Matsuda is president of Sanseito (political participation party). Although it is just two and a half years old, the party has rapidly gained supporters and recognition largely through YouTube videos and social media posts that highlight inflammatory rhetoric and conspiracy theories.

Sohei Kamiya, 45, vice president of Sanseito, won a seat in the party’ s first Upper House election in summer this year.

Just before noon on Oct. 26, Kamiya devoured a large bowl of soba noodles topped with meat in less than five minutes in a dining hall of the Upper House members’ building in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district.

He said he learned how to eat fast when he was a busy city assembly member in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.

Kamiya ran for a Lower House seat in the Osaka No. 13 district with the endorsement of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2012. But he lost to a candidate from Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

Kamiya founded a cross-party policy recommendation group called Ryoma Project Zenkokukai when he was a city assembly member.

As head of the group, he built personal connections and garnered support from at least 400 people.

He engaged in heated discussions, arguing that Japan has lost the spirit of independence and self-respect and lacked the sense as a party concerned.

Kamiya helped to found Sanseito in April 2020.

Asked why he aspired to be a politician, the lawmaker said: “I wanted to teach Japanese history correctly. That was the starting point for my desire to become a politician.”

One of Sanseito’s principles is to “create a peaceful country where the people are united with the emperor at the center, applying the wisdom of our ancestors.”

Although Japan has had its share of conservative political parties, Sanseito has stood out because its policies have been compared with those of former U.S. President Donald Trump, along with its promotion of conspiracy theories.

The party opposes immigration and suffrage for foreign residents. It has also suggested the COVID-19 pandemic is staged, and party members continue to push for freedom against rules on mask-wearing and vaccinations.

But it was not clear how many people in the crowd at Shinbashi actually agreed with Matsuda’s words about COVID-19 and the party’s agenda.

A concerned-looking woman in her 30s who heard the speech was asked for her opinion of Sanseito and whether she felt enlightened or uncomfortable by the fervent enthusiasm of the party’s supporters.

“To tell you the truth … ,” she began.

Kamiya quickly interrupted.

“I know we are referred to as a ‘cult.’ I understand why you might suspect us of hiding something in the back,” he said.

But being controversial appears to be helping to drive up support, or at least exposure, for the party.

A man in his 40s living in Tokyo said he makes a living as a YouTuber.

“(Videos of) Sanseito are viewed so many times, allowing me to make money,” he said.

Although he does not support the party, he has recorded Sanseito candidates giving street speeches and posted the footage on the video-sharing site. One video was watched around 100,000 times.

In April alone, he earned 1 million yen ($7,200) in ad revenue generated based on viewer numbers. He said he also made 1.5 million yen each in May and June.

Sanseito appears to have expanded its strength through the works of such YouTubers and other video creators.

The party on Dec. 22, 2021, said it planned to field 50 candidates in the 2022 Upper House election, but it had endorsed only four at the time.

The party eventually ran candidates in all 45 electoral districts, and lost in each one. But Kamiya won a seat in the proportional representation segment after the party gained about 1.76 million votes.

According to Kamiya and other sources, Sanseito currently boasts about 100,000 members and brings in monthly revenue of more than 40 million yen.

Donations from its members covered most of the expenses for the Upper House election--about 500 million yen.

STRAINS BEHIND RAPID GROWTH

Sanseito has thrown its energy into the unified local elections scheduled for next spring.

At an Oct. 26 news conference at the Diet building, Kamiya announced longer-term plans to field 494 candidates in local elections to be held by the end of September 2023.

As of Oct. 31, 19 local assembly members around the country belonged to Sanseito.

The party aims to increase support in the local polls and gain momentum for future national elections.

But its rapidly growing popularity is actually posing a problem.

Kamiya said the party has received documents from more than 100 potential candidates seeking Sanseito’s endorsement in the local elections.

However, the party does not have enough personnel to process all the requests.

“We are short-handed. Just gathering people won’t work,” Kamiya told staff members during a meeting before the news conference.

“We only have four candidates,” he continued. “We will determine the remaining 490 candidates soon.”

The relationship between party supporters and Sanseito politicians, including Kamiya, can seem similar to reciprocal ties between fans and idols.

Kamiya initially targeted people disillusioned with politics by “founding a political party from scratch on our own because there are no parties we want to vote for.”

Sanseito’s official website says it offers a “do it yourself” school on how to change the existing social system through the power of community.

It implies that the party can create interior items and other things without professional assistance.