Japan’s NoBorder Sparks Controversy With SANAE Token; Prime Minister Takaichi Denies Any Connection

Japanese political media outlet NoBorder launched the SANAE token on Solana on February 25, 2026, as a community reward for its “Japan is Back” initiative. The project said it would use AI, Web3 and digital-democracy mechanisms inspired by Audrey Tang to gather public opinion. Because the token shares Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s name, investors speculated that it had political backing, fueling controversy over crypto projects’ use of politicians’ identities.

Takaichi said on X on the evening of March 2 that she had been completely unaware of the token. She said the prime minister’s office had not been informed and had never approved it. The token’s price fell more than 50% within about four hours of her statement. SANAE’s market capitalization had climbed to about $27.72 million before retreating to roughly $6 million, at one point marking a 75% decline. On-chain data also showed that the three largest addresses held about 60% of the supply combined, raising concerns about excessive ownership concentration.