Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

In Japan's 51st House of Representatives election held on Sunday, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party won a majority of seats, meaning that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will continue to govern. In this election, Japanese online communities exerted a special influence on Takaichi and the LDP. In particular, the influence of Japanese netizens who express extremely conservative, xenophobic and nationalist views has shifted from online to offline, creating a "right-wing spiral" in this election where the "internet rightwingers" strongly supported Takaichi and the LDP, while Takaichi actively catered to online populism. This warrants serious reflection and vigilance from insightful individuals in Japan and the international community.

The term "internet rightwingers" was introduced by the Japan Times in 2006 as "Net uyoku," and it is a product of the combined effects of the popularity of the internet and the conservatism of Japanese society. The core of this group consists of Generation Z who are adept at using the internet to voice their opinions. They are frequently active on forums, video websites and social media, spreading right-wing views and propositions such as xenophobia, military expansion and constitutional revision and glorification of history in an anonymous, emotional and aggressive manner. At its core, they advocate extreme nationalism and historical revisionism.

Since running for president of the LDP, Takaichi has developed a symbiotic political relationship with certain right-wing online platforms. Since becoming prime minister, these platforms have provided her with support in areas such as online public opinion campaigning, mobilizing young supporters and offline actions. In return, Takaichi has catered to the "internet rightwingers" with increasingly right-wing rhetoric and instilled populist thinking through a stronger, more assertive image. Among the many factors contributing to Takaichi and the LDP's victory in the House of Representatives election, a core strategy was leveraging the online right-wing group and releasing even more right-wing rhetoric and adopting populist practices.

The "internet rightwingers" has constructed an "echo chamber" to "protect Takaichi," effectively harvesting votes from the younger generation. Its role as a "right-wing propaganda machine" is clearly seen in how they dominate trending lists with emotional videos tailored to young netizens' preferences - evidenced by the fact that a video message from Takaichi to campaign for this election surpassed 100 million views on YouTube in just 10 days. Even more concerning is how these people demonize China's legitimate countermeasures as threats to Japan's "national survival," sensationalizing external pressure as "suppression of Japan" and converting this into "political fuel" for Takaichi.

Meanwhile, Takaichi has proactively played up so-called external threats to shape herself as a "populist icon." Takaichi and the LDP have mobilized online groups to serve the campaign, using social media operations to craft a narrative of an "iron lady resisting external pressure." She caters to the online right-wing by adopting the characteristic hardline stance of the far-right. This approach has reduced the House of Representatives election to a mere "popularity contest," completely blurring the lines of policy debate and undermining the solemnity of state power.

Judging from the synergy between the Japanese political circle and the online right in this election, it is clear that if Takaichi's words and actions - which disregard legal principles and historical facts while endangering regional stability - are not corrected, Japan will slide further toward a dangerous precipice. This would not only deepen social divisions and distort historical perception, but also tempt Japan toward a more aggressive posture with its neighbors, fueling regional tensions and arms races. Ultimately, this threatens the post-World War II international order and seriously jeopardizes peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. This demands the attention of both the Japanese public and the international community.

The Chinese side has stated clearly that if Japan's far-right forces miscalculate and act recklessly, they will be met by resistance from the Japanese people and serious backlash from the international community. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the work of the Tokyo trials. In this significant year, it is hoped that Takaichi and the LDP will cease catering to the demands of Japanese conservative forces and the historical revisionism of the online right and refrain from conducting such dangerous provocations.

The author is the director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn