Prime Minister Takaichi Clarifies She Has No Affiliation With ‘Sanae Token’ Crypto

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has denied any involvement in the virtual currency known as “Sanae Tokin”, which is currently used for trading. She also cautioned her supporters not to be misled by the name.   

In an X post on Monday, Takaichi said, “While there appear to be various misunderstandings – perhaps because of the name – I have absolutely no knowledge of this token, nor has my office been informed about what it is,” Takaichi said in the post. “We have not given any form of approval in relation to this matter. I am issuing this statement to ensure that the public is not misled.”            

What is Sanae Token? 

Sanae Token (SANAE) is a Solana-based “political memecoin” that became notable in early 2026 for its unofficial association with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. It was launched as an “incentive token” for a project called “Japan is Back” by entrepreneur Yuji Mizoguchi through his YouTube channel, NoBorder. It has a reported fixed supply of 1 billion tokens. 

The project aims to “update democracy through new technology” using artificial intelligence and Web3, or the concept of a blockchain-based decentralized internet where users own their own data. NoBorder stated that the name “Sanae” was chosen as it symbolizes “a democratically elected leader.” 

Sanae Takaichi Dismisses Association With the Token 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has denied any involvement, knowledge, or approval of the token. Ms. Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister, has a strong social media presence and followers. 

Moreover, despite a disclaimer on the token’s website stating that the project is not linked to or endorsed by Ms. Takaichi, it faced severe online backlash. A few social media handles and users criticized the branding as potentially misleading. They argued that the association could create false impressions among the public. 

The confusion reached its highest after an X account claiming to be an “officially recognized” supporters’ group for Ms. Takaichi shared NoBorder’s announcement. 

The support group said in its repost, “Team Sanae empathises with this initiative and would like to collaborate with our activities.”

Sanae (SANAE) Market Impact 

After the Prime Minister’s official denial of association with the Sanae token, its price plummeted by more than 50% within four hours. The token’s capitalization reached its highest, reaching $27.72 million before crashing to $6 million. 

Conclusion 

Regarding the SANAE token market performance, we can say its value is mostly driven by its false association with the Prime Minister. After Ms. Tikaichi clarified that she has no association with the new crypto token, its value decreased by 50 to 70%. The launch of such speculative assets would prompt the financial authorities to increase scrutiny of decentralized finance (DeFi) tools and anonymous token launches. We can also see that although the creators have included a disclaimer, the use of a popular leader’s name could raise questions about misinterpretation and intellectual property. Crypto tokens and coins named after prime ministers and presidents are not a new thing. For example, TRUMP memecoin is quite popular in the United States.  In 2025, the Argentine president, Javier Milei, faced intense criticism for promoting a controversial Solana-based memecoin. Milei rejected claims that he endorsed the cryptocurrency that crashed after social media clarification.