Photo/Illutration Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya, center, waves to supporters in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the Upper House election. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Just over half of Japanese voters approve of the surge by Sanseito, an Asahi Shimbun poll found, after the party known for its antiforeign sentiment won a slew of seats in the Upper House this month.

Fifty-two percent of voters polled said it was good that Sanseito gained so many seats in the July 20 election, while 34 percent expressed concern about the result.

Sanseito, which champions a “Japanese First” policy, captured 14 Upper House seats, in third place among opposition parties behind the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People.

The result was seen as a surge because the party had only one seat up for re-election.

Among its policies, Sanseito has advocated tighter immigration controls, suspension of welfare payments to foreign residents and restrictions on the provision of the medical insurance program.

Forty-eight percent of respondents to the nationwide telephone survey on July 26-27 said they appreciate the Japanese First policy, compared with 41 percent who said they do not.

Broken down by gender, male respondents were more supportive of the policy. Fifty-five percent of men said they value it, with only 38 percent opposed.

Women were almost evenly split: 42 percent favored the policy, with 43 percent against it.

The survey indicates that younger generations form a key support base for Sanseito.

Seventy-one percent of respondents between the ages 18 and 29 said they appreciate the policy, versus 27 percent who said they do not.

But only 29 percent of those 70 or older said the policy works for them, while 53 percent said it does not sit well with them.

Similar patterns are found regarding the question about Sanseito substantially increasing the number of Upper House seats.

Fifty-nine percent of men said it is a good move, nearly double the 30 percent who disagreed with this. Of women, 46 percent agreed, a little more than the 38 percent who did not.

And the generational divide remained. About 60 percent of respondents in their 50s and in lower age brackets said the gains were good, but only about 40 percent of those 70 or older said they agreed. A similar ratio was seen in those who expressed unease with Sanseito’s rise.

More than 70 percent of men in their 30s or younger said they welcome the party’s gains.

Among all respondents who said it was good, 72 percent said they appreciate the Japanese First policy. Of those who said the rise is bad, 77 percent said they are uncomfortable with the policy.

The survey was conducted through calls to randomly generated telephone numbers. There were 497 valid responses from voters contacted by landlines, or 50 percent of the total, and 753 valid responses from those contacted by cellphones, or 40 percent.

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