Controversial Politician Sugita Mio: “I’ve Never Slandered the Ainu People”

Japanese politician Sugita Mio is no stranger to controversy. Now, a Sapporo legal bureau says she’s slandered the Ainu people — but she says otherwise.

By Noah Oskow

Like a broken record, the story keeps on repeating: controversial Liberal Democratic Party politician Sugita Mio is back in the news once again for denying her record of discriminatory commentary and political writings. This time, she’s denying her slandering of the Ainu, an indigenous people of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kurils.

Sugita Mio, 56, currently serves as a member of the Japanese House of Representatives. An LDP stalwart since joining the party in 2017, Sugita is infamous for her long history of what has often been termed “hate speech.” She spreads her hateful commentary like a buckshot, lashing out at a wide variety of minorities in Japanese society; she’s called LGBT people “unproductive“, saying government funds should not be used to assist sexual minorities. As regards women who’ve come forward regarding sexual assault, well, Sugita feels that women “lie a lot.” Plus, she stated, “‘women’s advancement’ goes hand in hand with the destruction of the family and the destruction of Japan.” So…