A new political organization in Japan that opposes immigration, gender equality and the pacifist Constitution is gaining traction, particularly on social media, but its ultimate intentions remain unclear.

The Conservative Party of Japan was founded by novelist Naoki Hyakuta and others in September.

Its official X (formerly Twitter) account has more than 330,000 followers, far outpacing existing political parties, including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has about 250,000 followers.

The Conservative Party of Japan said it has more than 57,000 members.

For recognition as a political party, an organization must have five or more Diet members or have received 2 percent or more of votes cast nationwide in either the last Lower House election or in one of the last two Upper House elections, according to the internal affairs ministry.

The new organization has stated that it will eventually seek seats in the Diet, but Hyakuta and other leading figures have not declared their intention to run.

Lawmakers of existing parties have dismissed the group as one with limited appeal. And one member of the organization said it is simply Hyakuta’s fan club.

DEFENDING JAPAN

At an Oct. 17 news conference announcing the establishment of the organization, Hyakuta read a declaration of the group that he had written himself, saying that it “is all in my heart.”

“There is no example anywhere in the world of a nation that was established with a myth and has continued as one nation with the emperor at its center for almost 2,000 years,” Hyakuta read. “We must resolutely defend Japan. We need a new political force to do so.”

The organization advocates eight priority policies, including “protecting Japan’s national polity and traditional culture.”

In addition to revising war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution, tightening immigration policies and reducing the consumption tax, the organization calls for eliminating subsidies for electric vehicles and reviewing spending for gender equality policies.

Journalist Kaori Arimoto, a close friend of Hyakuta, was appointed secretary-general, and Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura was invited to serve as co-chairman.

The organization’s priority policies reflect matters close to Kawamura’s heart, such as ending “hereditary politics” and completing the wooden construction of Nagoya Castle’s keep.

In 2012, Kawamura stated that the Nanking Massacre during the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s “may not have happened.”

Arimoto said she got to know Kawamura through this statement.

ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTERS

Hyakuta has been close to conservative members of the LDP, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

However, Hyakuta criticized the LDP at the Oct. 17 news conference, saying, “I felt that (the party) is not quite right.”

He cited the LDP-led passage of legislation promoting an “understanding” of LGBT issues.

“That was the decisive reason why I launched this political organization,” he said.

Hyakuta continued, “It is absolutely wrong for only a few politicians to change the character of the country based on their own principles, sense of justice and ideology.”

The organization stipulates that the regular membership fee is 6,000 yen ($42) per year. For “special members,” the annual fee is 20,000 yen. A representative said the organization has collected about 400 million yen in membership fees so far.

Hyakuta and other leaders have been making public speeches, starting in Nagoya.

At Hyakuta’s speech in Osaka’s central Umeda district in November, the crowd appeared energized and the streets became difficult to pass.

Police, concerned about a stampede, asked Hyakuta to stop, and he ended his scheduled one-hour speech in a little more than 20 minutes.

Hyakuta said the reason behind the support for his new organization is “dissatisfaction with the existing political parties.”

“I am glad that someone like Hyakuta, who doesn’t have to become a politician (to make a living), is standing up for the country,” said a 48-year-old part-time worker at the author’s speech in Tokyo’s Shinbashi district.

Hyakuta is indeed a successful writer. His 2006 novel “The Eternal Zero” was a best-seller.

But he is also known for making controversial statements.

For example, when he was invited to an LDP study session, he stated, “The two newspapers in Okinawa must definitely be destroyed.”

In his speeches appealing for constitutional reform and other policies, Hyakuta has said, “There are many loose-headed female members in the LDP.”

Hyakuta also has no love for the LDP members who have been described as possible successors to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi; former LDP secretary-general Shigeru Ishiba; and digital minister Taro Kono.

“They are all nepo babies. The three idiots of the LDP,” Hyakuta said.

While the author has not made clear if he himself plans to soon enter the political arena, Kawamura has publicly declared himself as “the man who aims to become prime minister.”

Kawamura heads a Nagoya-based local political party called Genzei Nippon (tax cuts Japan).

Hyakuta attended a Genzei Nippon fund-raising party in Nagoya and wowed the audience by saying, “I don’t know how many years it will take, but if we become the party in power, Kawamura and I will vie for the prime minister’s post.”

Despite these bullish statements, the organization’s specific election strategy remains elusive.

Both Hyakuta and Kawamura have not declared their candidacy for the next Lower House election or any other national election.

As for Arimoto, she has only said, “It remains to be seen.”

‘NO DIRECT THREAT’

There are also concerns within the organization that its activities are not broad enough. Some members feel negative about fielding candidates in local elections, but others say such polls should serve as the backbone of the organization’s expansion.

One LDP Lower House member said the ruling party has nothing to fear from the Conservative Party of Japan.

“There is no direct threat,” the lawmaker said. “It is just an ad-balloon thing, and it affects only some conservative forces to some extent.”

Keiichi Ishii, secretary-general of Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, said about the new organization at a Dec. 1 news conference: “I think it is attracting interest, but I don’t know much about its specific policies and principles, so it is difficult to evaluate it. I will keep a close eye on its impact going forward.”

A Lower House member of Osaka-based Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) said: “I think the only people who support (the new organization) are netizens. It is not talked about at all in my hometown or in Nagatacho.”

In the November issue of monthly magazine Hanada, Hyakuta wrote, “The hurdles are quite high when it comes to winning in a single-seat constituency district.”

But he added: “When it comes to the Upper House, there is a national proportional vote. I think we will be able to fight quite well there.”

Referring to the 2009 Lower House election when the LDP lost and became an opposition party, Hyakuta said, “It can be said that once the wind blows, you never know what will happen.”

One member of the organization questioned its seriousness, saying it is “still Hyakuta’s fan club.”

“It is not so easy to win an election on this basis alone,” the member said. “For Hyakuta and Kawamura, their current positions are unassailable even if things don’t go well. They are not playing a game of ‘win or lose.’”

(This article was written by Tomomi Terasawa and Mika Kuniyoshi.)