A New Era for NihonPolitics Begins
15,000 followers, 800 subscribers, and now a premium version to support Nihonpolitics!
On July 20, Japan will hold its election for the House of Councillors.
But today, July 3rd, marks the official start of the campaign, and the beginning of a new chapter for this newsletter too. I’m very excited.
Over the past years, NihonPolitics has grown far beyond what I ever imagined. Nearly 15,000 of you follow me on Twitter and close to 800 subscribers read this newsletter on Substack.
Your interest in Japanese politics and the work I do has been nothing short of amazing, and it’s pushed me to go further.
Since 2020, when I launched this project, it has been a wild ride. At times irregular, I know, but always thoughtful and dedicated, with a lot of time and work behind it.
Today, I’m taking the next step to make NihonPolitics what it always aspired to be:
A timely, sharp, and independent newsletter, your go-to space for everything about Japan and its political life.
Announcing NihonPolitics Premium
A few weeks ago, I asked readers on Twitter whether they’d support a paid version of NihonPolitics. Over 500 of you responded, and the results were clear: many said YES, and even more said maybe, depending on the offer. That was incredibly encouraging! So,
Starting today, I’m launching NihonPolitics Premium: a monthly paid version of this newsletter with
Exclusive deep-dives,
Original charts & data, and
In-depth political reporting and analysis about Japan (and hopefully, with your support, from Japan soon!)
What’s coming next?
In the coming months, as a Premium subscriber, you will gain access to in-depth exploration on key political topics, including some of which I am already working on, like:
The Osaka Metropolis Plan: What happened in both referendums and why voters said no twice.
The Shizuoka Question: How a quiet prefecture stopped the Maglev train for years
Nagoya vs Aichi: The Question of Free Speech in Japan and a historic rivalry
The Chūō Line: Tokyo’s train of progressives and what it says about suburban politics
…and more.
These stories, and more, are coming soon to NihonPolitics Premium. And your support makes them possible. 感謝します。
🎟️ Subscription options
To keep things simple, I’m offering four tiers of support:
🆓 Free
This is the one you are currently enjoying. Access to occasional public posts like election previews, partially free and my continuous Twitter posts.📌 Monthly – €5/month
Full access to all subscriber-only posts and the full archive. Includes one exclusive long-read each month, articles that dive deep into topics like regional rivalries, local politics, fun with trains in Japan (!) and much more. I hope I can one day, with your support, report the stories from Japan!!📆 Yearly – €47/year (Save 22%)
Same benefits as Monthly, but at a lower price if you subscribe for the whole year. It’s a deal!👤 Shadow Shogun – €65/year
All the benefits above, plus a way to go further in supporting this project. You’ll have the option to be credited in a special thank-you note in each premium article.
These prices are special launch rates, lock them in now and keep them even if prices go up later. I know this is an adventure for me, and I’m honestly pretty excited (even if I’ve got a bit of vertigo too!).
This step will allow me to dedicate more time, care and research to delivering high-quality coverage.
There will still be free content, especially around key moments like these elections, but if you enjoy NihonPolitics and want more, your support can make that possible.
How to upgrade your subscription
Want to switch from free to premium, or upgrade your current plan?
Here’s how to do it, following the official steps:
Go to your Substack account settings.
Under Subscriptions, click on NihonPolitics.
Click Change next to your current plan.
Select the new plan you'd like to switch to and confirm.
That’s it, you’re all set to receive the monthly premium posts!
Or, much easier, you can CLICK the button below:👇👇👇
How to upgrade your subscription
What’s next now?
On July 13, I’ll publish my usual long preview of the Upper House election. The first half will be free to everyone, and the full piece will be available to premium subscribers only.
See you again in August with a complete breakdown of the results. So exciting!
Thank you for reading, for supporting, and for caring about Japanese politics.
Here’s to a big month ahead!
Javier.
