Japan’s firebrand prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and her Liberal Democratic Party were on track for a big victory in snap elections Sunday, according to exit polls, probably securing a robust parliamentary majority and broader public mandate for her conservative agenda.
The election was driven by enthusiasm about Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, and early exit polls appeared to affirm a strong appetite for her “Japan First” approach.
The LDP was on track to win some 300 seats in the parliament’s lower chamber, according to exit polling published by public broadcaster NHK immediately after polls closed at 8 p.m. — far higher than the 233 needed for a majority,
Takaichi, 64, swept into office last year, promising to protect the nation’s manufacturing industries and signaling a more hawkish approach toward China. Her image as a relentless workhorse and unconventional leadership style has spawned a legion of super fans, especially among many younger voters whom she has embraced.
In a social media post on the eve of the balloting, Takaichi appealed to voters for their support and framed the election as a critical juncture for Japan. “We stand at a crossroads for dramatically changing the nation,” she wrote.
In campaign speeches, Takaichi has focused on economic issues and called for more restrictive immigration measures. She has also said she will boost Japan’s offensive military capabilities and lift a ban on lethal weapons exports, signaling a shift from some of the pacifist principles adopted by Japan after World War II.
Since becoming prime minister, Takaichi’s unusually blunt statements about Taiwan have also inflamed tensions with Beijing.
In November, she raised the suggestion that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan could mark a “survival-threatening situation” for Tokyo — a shift from Japan’s long-standing policy of maintaining “strategic ambiguity” when discussing military involvement over Taiwan. Since World War II, Japan’s military technically exists only for self-defense.
Takaichi dissolved the lower house of parliament last month and called the snap elections to leverage her unusually long honeymoon period — marked by sky-high approval ratings for her cabinet.
That political gamble relied on her ability to convert her fandom across the electorate into votes for the LDP, which has been in power almost continuously since 1955. Before her victory last year, the party had been plagued by scandals and lost its majority in 2024.
Sunday’s vote appeared to reverse that predicament as the LDP partnered with the Japan Innovation Party in hopes of defeating the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the country’s main liberal opposition, which had formed a centrist alliance.
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