Japan sticker craze meets politics as PM Takaichi-themed sets prove hit

TOKYO - Japan’s political world has found itself no exception to a recent craze for tactile “bumpy” stickers, with sets depicting the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi proving a hit at National Diet gift shops.While political merchandise at parliament’s gift shops have generally targeted an older demographic with special packs of manju buns and rice crackers featuring the prime minister of the day, stickers aimed at a younger crowd launched in July have surprisingly become popular.According to Norio Nakai, an official engaged in the stores’ management, as many as 100 packs of the sticker sets, retailing at 1,320 yen (S$10), were sold per day this summer.The National Diet Friends sticker set was produced by a firm based in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka.The set features cartoon designs of Takaichi against a backdrop of the Japanese flag and another one showing her next to a deer from her home prefecture of Nara, as well as a Panama hat-wearing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) vice-president and Japan’s former prime minister Taro Aso.Their success underlines Takaichi’s cut through beyond politics.The prime minister, who recently marked a year in office as the country’s first female premier, was previously the centre of a “Sanakatsu” phenomenon in which young people bought pens and fashion accessories favoured by her.Some opposition parties have also taken to selling stickers.The Democratic Party for the People (DPP), a right-leaning party that has been seen as a potential coalition partner with Takaichi’s LDP, offers stickers of its rabbit mascot in the party’s orange and blue colours.Other stickers include one that says “more”, a reference to the DPP’s calls to raise take-home pay.The far-right Sanseito party sells stickers of its symbol featuring a design of the mythical bird Houou, while the tech-savvy Team Mirai offers stickers of its logo in party colours via its website.An updated set of stickers themed on Takaichi’s Cabinet is planned following reshuffles of her ruling party executive and Cabinet in September.The first version included Yoshimasa Hayashi, the now former internal affairs and communications minister seen as a possible rival for the LDP leadership in the party race in 2027. KYODO NEWS