Photo/Illutration Sohei Kamiya is the leader of the Sanseito party, which pushes a “Japanese First” platform. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The leader of the rising opposition party Sanseito demanded a party staff member resign for allowing an Upper House election candidate to be interviewed by a Russian state-owned news agency.

“I never said it was OK for her to give an interview with Sputnik,” Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told a TV program on July 15.

The Russian agency’s Japanese-language service had posted a video interview with party candidate Saya onto social media a day prior.

Saya, who uses only one name, is running in the Tokyo constituency in the July 20 election. She discussed why she decided to represent the “Japanese First” party, among other subjects, in the video.

Kamiya said the party staffer arbitrarily gave approval.

“It is outrageous,” he said. 

The Russian government has been criticized for using Sputnik as a propaganda tool, and the European Union has sanctioned a block on its services for spreading disinformation over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in Toyama on July 16, Kamiya indicated that he would not call Saya to account for her behavior.

“The problem is that (the staff member) failed to keep with the (party) guidelines,” he said.

(This article was written by Ryutaro Abe and Yuta Ogi.)

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