Japan: the leader of the NHK Party made xenophobic remarks aimed at blacks and Muslims

The head of the NHK Party, Takashi Tachibana, candidate for the upper room for the Hyogo prefecture, made openly xenophobic remarks during a campaign speech on July 4 in Kakogawa, west of Japan. In front of passers -by, Tachibana said: “It’s scary to see groups of blacks and Muslims hang out in front of the stations”, adding that his fear of foreigners had now surpassed that of the NHK royalty collectors, the Japanese public broadcaster.

He recognized that his remarks could be perceived as discriminatory, before continuing: “We are less afraid of whites, perhaps. But if the state does not give social assistance to foreigners, they will end up attacking. Tachibana then mentioned an alleged “degradation of public security” to justify the rise of a “Japan first” discourse. “I did not have this feeling of exclusion before,” he concluded. “But he became very strong. »»

Former employee of the NHK public channel, Tachibana founded the NHK Party in 2013 – officially The party to protect the people from the NHK – with an initial program focused on the abolition of the audiovisual fee. Known for its populist positions and conspiracy outings, the party had obtained a seat in the upper chamber in 2019, before falling back into electoral marginality. Loss of speed, the NHK Party now seems to bet on a xenophobic rhetoric to stay visible in public space. His declarations of July 4 have aroused strong reactions on social networks, in a country where racist speeches are rarely denounced in the traditional political debate.