The popularity of POPULISM

From Japan's 'Iron Lady' Sanae Takaichi to Trump-style Czech billionaire Andrej Babiš, the anti-elite revolution has transformed from Western obsession to global phenomenon. AARON NEWBURY examines how we got there

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WHEN someone says “revolution”, you picture barricades in the street and an inevitable West End musical to follow. But today’s revolutionaries don’t build barricades, they build armies of followers.

And it’s spreading fast. In Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun is about to get a new star: Sanae Takaichi, a conservative firebrand dubbed the nation’s “Iron Lady”.

The 64-year-old president of the Liberal Democratic Party is hoping to become Japan’s first female prime minister today after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishibia and former LDP president announced he was standing down from the top job. Japan’s parliament, the Diet, is scheduled to put Takaichi in the hot seat even though there’s been a twist — the LDP’s longtime coalition partner Komeito has just walked out, throwing the numbers into doubt and forcing Takaichi to hunt for new allies.

Still, if she wins the parliamentary vote or not, her meteoric rise to the top echelons of power marks something bigger.

Populism is no longer a Western phenomenon, it’s global.

Takaichi’s platform is one of national pride, tight borders, frugal spending and scrapping Article 9 of the constitution, which bars Japan from using its army. She opposes same-sex marriage and says no woman should inherit the throne. In a country famed for moderation and stability, her ascent has jolted the establishment.

Five thousand miles away, Prague has just elected the return of “Czech Trump” billionaire Andrej Babiš, after his ANO (“Yes”) party won around 35% in the latest election, coming first but falling just short of a majority.

Ousted as PM in 2021, Babiš is back railing against the old political establishment, and courting anti-immigration allies to govern as the country’s prime minister.