Some root cause analysis: * Big swings to populism (even if the populist leaders are merely lying about their populist beliefs to entrench their power and set

Some root cause analysis: * Big swings to populism (even if the populist leaders are merely lying about their populist beliefs to entrench their power and set up an oligarchy) come about because of loss of legitimacy in the mainstream political spectrum. * In the absence of a large and unexpected disaster, a loss of mainstream political legitimacy comes from mass alienation slowly attriting away the base of support. * Japan is an import-heavy country with an educationally demanding labor market in a time of global uncertainty driving up trade costs across the board and impacting people's available cognitive energy budget. Under such circumstances, I'd be shocked if Sanseito hasn't already collaborating with AfD for a while.