On December 4, 2025, students in the Planning and Implementation II course organized an academic lecture event titled, “The Rise of Populist Radical-Right Parties & Xenophobia.”

We were honored to invite Dr. Ikuma Ogura, Assistant Professor at Hitotsubashi University, as our guest speaker. Dr. Ogura’s area of expertise is political behavior, with a special focus on public opinion and electoral politics in Japan and the United States.

In his lecture, Dr. Ogura discussed why populist radical-right parties have gained support across many democratic countries, including Japan. He explained how these political movements often rely on strong nationalist rhetoric combined with anti-immigration narratives, and how public attitudes toward immigrants are shaped by perceptions of economic, cultural, and security threats. Using survey data and comparative examples, the lecture illustrated how such threat perceptions are often influenced by misinformation rather than factual evidence.

Dr. Ogura also presented his ongoing collaborative research on the effects of correcting misinformation about immigration, thus offering many valuable insights on the possibilities and limits of information-based interventions for reducing xenophobic attitudes. The presentation triggered participants to think critically about how democracy, public opinion, and political communication interact in contemporary society.

After the lecture, an active discussion and Q&A session took place. Participants shared their observations of xenophobia in Japan, reflected on its underlying causes, and discussed potential approaches to fostering more inclusive attitudes.

This event was planned and organized by the student organizers: Ayano Nakamura, Kasen Tsuchiya, Makoto Shirabe, Sayaka Kobayashi, and Yurika Jo. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Ikuma Ogura for his enlightening lecture, and to all participants who contributed to the discussion.