Japanese politics is a usually steady ship, verging on the boring most of the time.

Not anymore.

Last Sunday, a once obscure far-right party, Sanseito, surged from one to 15 seats in the elections, making them a serious contender in Japan’s political scene.

With their “Japanese First” slogan, riffing off US President Donald Trump’s “America First”, they have truly ruffled the feathers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its embattled prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba.