During the recent House of Representatives election in Japan, videos featuring Prime Minister Sanae Takai garnered immense popularity on platforms like YouTube. Experts have noted that Takai's content power was so significant that it eclipsed that of the entire Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), leading to a favorable election environment for the party. Meanwhile, opposition parties were unsettled by this phenomenon, highlighting a stark divide in political momentum fueled by social media. The overall election-related video views amounted to approximately 2.8 billion, a staggering tenfold increase from the previous 2024 election, showcasing the shifting dynamics of political campaigning in the digital age.

Data collected by political information site Sengu.com revealed that around 90,000 election-related videos were uploaded during the campaign period from January 27 to February 8. Among this, more than 230 million views were attributed to LDP-related content, with Takai's individual videos accounting for a remarkable 450 million views alone. This trend illustrates how reliant political figures are on engaging media content as part of their campaigning efforts, with an overwhelming majority (over 80%) of videos being produced by third-party channels that repurposed existing media footage rather than being created directly by political parties or candidates themselves.

As the consumption of political content shifts towards social media, the cycle of producing view-generating videos catalyzed Takai's popularity during the election, creating a self-perpetuating cycle where virality begets recognition. Insights from the Asahi Shimbun's Media Research and Development Center further suggest a strategic targeting by content creators to resonate with audiences during the election. The prominence of figures like Takai in digital media not only reshapes traditional political landscapes but also raises questions about the implications of social media's role in democratic processes and electoral outcomes.