'Japanese-first' party denies ties with Russia
TOKYO

A populist party surging in the polls ahead of July 20's national elections in Japan has denied any ties to Russia, after one of its candidates gave an interview to Moscow state media.
Japanese politics has long been dominated by the center-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), with populist groups remaining on the fringes.
But the right-wing Sanseito party is riding a wave of popular support for its inflammatory "Japanese-first" platform including opposition to globalism, immigration and foreign capital.
Opinion polls suggest it could win more than 10 upper house seats, up from two now, in an election where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition risks losing its majority.
Sanseito's latest controversy surrounds a rookie candidate known only as Saya, who gave Russia's Sputnik news agency an interview that was then published on its Japanese edition's X account on July 14.
Saya's sudden appearance on Sputnik sparked a storm of confusion that fueled speculation on social media that Sanseito was Russia-friendly.
Asked if the party had any special ties with Moscow, Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told an internet news program: "We don't. Not at all."
"Not with Russia, China or America. We don't. We keep balanced diplomacy with any country", Kamiya said.
"To say we're pro-Russia just because she appeared on Sputnik, I think that's just too simplistic", he said.