Politician Who Linked Anime to Human Trafficking Loses Election in Japan
Recently, elections were held in Japan, and the result was a major victory for the LDP, the conservative party of current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which now appears to have a more stable path to govern.
Among the politicians who failed to get elected was Norimasa Fujiwara, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, a left-wing party in Japan.
The politician who linked anime to human trafficking became known among anime fans after a controversy in December, when he attempted to associate an illustration from the anime Strawberry Marshmallow with crimes of sexual exploitation.
On December 7, 2025, Norimasa Fujiwara shared a tweet from user Nero, which showed a character from the anime and manga Strawberry Marshmallow dressed for the beach, along with the phrase “Welcome to Japan.” When commenting on the image, the politician wrote:
“This is exactly why allowing repulsive things like this leads to repulsive men who ‘buy’ a 12-year-old Thai girl brought through human trafficking wandering the streets drooling. This must be completely eliminated.”
The statement generated strong backlash, especially for directly associating an anime illustration with serious crimes such as human trafficking and child exploitation.
Politician Who Linked Anime to Human Trafficking Loses Election in Japan
Strawberry Marshmallow is an anime that premiered in 2005 and is known for its light and everyday story, focused on girls living simple situations in a cute and humorous way. Fans often point out that the series contains no ecchi or sexual content.
It is also worth noting that the poster in question is quite old, around 20 years old. Returning to the present, Norimasa Fujiwara failed to get elected and posted the following on his Twitter:
“It was a complete defeat. I would like to express my gratitude and my apologies to everyone.”
Let’s look at some of the reactions to Norimasa Fujiwara’s election defeat:
“You are unnecessary in Aichi District 10. A nuisance. An eyesore. You are free to run for office again, but please do it far away from Ichinomiya.”
“Listen. It’s not just a ‘complete defeat.’ The reason you couldn’t earn our support is exactly because of this kind of behavior.”
“Wow, you were so arrogant before. What happened suddenly?”
“A few days after that statement, when I saw you move toward the political center, I thought ‘this won’t work.’ Good job.”
“You didn’t win last time because of your own ability. This is the true will of the people of Aichi District 10.”
“A lawmaker who talks about human rights all the time but also talks about exterminating citizens and socially destroying them is not needed. What are you, Mao Zedong? Stalin? Pol Pot? Go join the Social Democratic Party or Communist Party. It’s too scary. I’m honestly relieved you lost.”
“The left suffered a complete defeat.”
“Funny how the one who got ‘eliminated’ was you lol. How about starting with a public apology to the innocent author and publisher?”
“I’m glad the Japanese people are sensible. Please never hold Japan back again. The election was not in vain.”
“First, how about apologizing to the author of Strawberry Marshmallow?”