The Mio Sugita Thread

Sugita, named parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs and communications in a Cabinet reshuffle in August, typically said she "would refrain from expressing personal views" when questioned for the first time at the Lower House's Special Committee on Political Ethics and Election Law in the Diet on Oct. 26. The 55-year-old politician was asked her views on the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church, in light of a scandal over ties between politicians and the religious group that emerged in the aftermath of the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8. Kentaro Genma of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan asked about a tweet Sugita posted in 2016 in which she said "there is nothing wrong with having support and cooperation from members of the Unification Church." She replied, "I'll refrain from expressing my views." When asked to retract the tweet, she explained that "I only meant it is difficult to research the details of my supporters." Exasperated, Genma said, "No one would interpret (the tweet) in such a way."

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In 2018, Sugita contributed an article to a monthly magazine in which she took exception to providing administrative support to same-sex couples. "Those people don't produce children. In other words, they are unproductive," she wrote. She was asked to retract the article but again said, "I'll refrain from commenting." She did not apologize for or offer to retract the article. However, she elaborated on her previous brief replies by stating, "Respect for diversity is very important, and I would like to respond by making efforts to create a society in which LGBT people can live comfortably." This prompted Genma to ask, "How can a person who has no regrets and cannot give an answer serve as a parliamentary vice minister in charge of political ethics?"

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Her Nov. 30 explanation on the 2014 statement drew criticism from attendees at the meeting, with one opposition lawmaker pointing out, "Domestic violence can threaten victims' lives."

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Separately, Sugita retracted a remark she made in a 2016 contribution to the Sankei Shimbun news site. In the contribution she criticized moves seeking more day care centers and use of separate surnames for married couples, describing them as "driven by the Comintern (an international organization of communist parties) to destroy Japanese families."

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Prior to the move, internal affairs minister Takeaki Matsumoto said that he told her to apologize for the comments and retract them and that she had agreed to do so.

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"I'm terrified of what will happen to a society that silently watches a Diet member who incites discrimination," said Tahara, citing recent comments by Mio Sugita, a lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who has a history of uttering offensive remarks.

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It is the first time for the Japanese Supreme Court to recognize liability for damages for "liking" online posts. The five-member First Petty Bench unanimously arrived at the decision, stating that Sugita's claims did not constitute grounds for appealing the lower court ruling. According to the earlier rulings by the Tokyo district and high courts, there were multiple anonymous tweets containing a phrase meaning "Ito screwed up sleeping her way (into a job)" about Ito, who had sued a former Tokyo Broadcasting System Television journalist claiming that he sexually assaulted her in April 2015. Sugita pressed likes for 25 of such posts between June and July 2018. In a March 2022 ruling, the Tokyo District Court ruled out Sugita's liability for compensation over the case because the like button offers only a straight choice between pressing it or not, and even if people like a post, the meaning varies greatly from "lauding" it to a more neutral "not bad," and that it is impossible to tell whether the like is for part or all of the post.

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"For God's sake," a mid-ranking Upper House member said. "Nothing good will come of this." A veteran Lower House member said, "By putting her on the party ticket, we could lose votes instead of gaining them." Sugita has a history of making remarks that indicate a lack of human rights awareness. [...] LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama emphasized that the ruling party has never condoned Sugita's discriminatory remarks. [...] Ishiba is believed to have reluctantly agreed to put Sugita on the party ticket.

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Lothor said:

I suspect that the party is trying to shore up its core voting base, because it will need all the help it can get in the coming election.

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Former House of Representatives member Mio Sugita failed to secure a seat in the July 20 House of Councillors election after facing increasing criticism over her repeated discriminatory remarks.

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Sugita has repeatedly come under fire for past remarks, including being twice recognized by legal affairs bureaus as having committed human rights violations for discriminatory comments about resident Koreans and Japan's indigenous Ainu people. During her election campaign, protesters on the streets also questioned her candidacy and called on residents not to vote for her.

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In her street speeches, Sugita spoke on reducing the consumption tax and active fiscal policy, and sharply addressed the "problem of foreigners." She claimed, "The proportion of Chinese among resident foreigners is especially high in Osaka compared to the whole country," and argued, "There is undue pressure from China, and the economy is leaning toward China. If relations between China and Japan become strained, Osaka's economy will immediately be in serious trouble. What we urgently need to do now is reduce the Osaka economy's dependence on China." However, according to the latest statistics on resident foreigners (as of the end of June 2025), the proportion of Chinese among foreigners living in Japan stands at 22.8% nationwide, 25.8% in Osaka Prefecture and 38.0% in Tokyo, so the level in Osaka is not exceptionally high.

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