Minor party head courts ageism controversy with childbirth comments

From Kyodo

July 4 2025

TOKYO – Sohei Kamiya, leader of the populist minor opposition Sanseito party, has courted controversy ahead of Japan’s House of Councillors election with his comment that “only young women can have children.”

Sanseito, under its “Japanese First” banner, has gained traction among conservatives with nationalist and anti-establishment beliefs, while fueling controversy in recent elections. The party, which blames globalization for Japan’s economic woes, was launched in 2020.

“Only young women can have children. When I say that, some people call it discrimination. But it’s not. It’s reality. Men and, sorry to say, older women cannot have children,” Kamiya said during a stump speech in Tokyo on Thursday.

He made the remark while outlining his plans for addressing Japan’s declining birthrate — a key election issue alongside inflation relief measures such as cutting the consumption tax and providing cash handouts.

Kamiya added, “If we want to maintain Japan’s population, we need to create a society where young women feel they want to have children or that life would be more secure if they do. But instead, we went too far in telling them to just work, work.”

His party’s YouTube channel cut to a color bar and lost audio just before Kamiya mentioned “older women” during his first campaign speech. The abrupt 30-second interruption caused speculation that it was planned, as the video had aired without issues up to that point.

On Thursday night, the party said on its official X account that the disruption was caused by equipment trouble due to extreme heat.

After the speech, he told reporters that his comment was based on biology, noting that advances in medicine have made it possible for some women to give birth in their 40s.

Kamiya, however, said childbirth for women in their 60s or 70s remains extremely difficult.

He also said there is a biological limit for women while emphasizing the importance of encouraging those of childbearing age to have more children. “If even one more child is born per woman in that age group, the birthrate will rise,” he added.

During another speech on a Tokyo street, Kamiya said, referring to media coverage of his earlier remark, “Only women of reproductive age can have children. Is it really discrimination or a problem to say we should build a society where they feel they want to have children?”