Japan’s Takaichi wins landslide, clears way for hardline agenda

TOKYO: Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi made a big gamble on Sunday, holding a snap election only 110 days after she became the first woman to serve as the country’s prime minister. It paid off, with voters offering a resounding mandate for her economic policies and tough stance on immigration and China.Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party won in a landslide, securing an absolute majority in Japan’s 465-member House of Representatives, the lower house of Japan’s bicameral Parliament, according to NHK, the public broadcaster. As of early Monday in Japan, the party had won at least 310 seats, up from 198, NHK said.The result clears the way for Takaichi to enact a conservative agenda on defence and social issues and to strengthen her position on the global stage, with President Donald Trump having given her candidacy a ringing endorsement. The outcome is a remarkable reversal of fortune for Takaichi’s party, which governed Japan for much of the past seven decades but has suffered a series of bruising defeats in recent years, leaving it in the unusual position of being a minority in both houses of Parliament.Sanae Takaichi told NHK after her victory Sunday that she had called the snap election as she felt “it would be wrong to simply drag things along without seeking a public mandate.” Takaichi, 64, soared to victory in part because of her popularity among young people, who see her as a charismatic, dynamic leader. Voters braved icy roads and wintry winds to cast their ballots. Heavy snowfall forced many polling stations to open late or close early. Even so, Japanese news outlets estimated that turnout was about 56%, compared with about 54% during the last in 2024. With her party now on a stronger footing, Takaichi will face few constraints as she pushes aggressive govt spending programs and expansive national security laws. By joining forces with another group, the Japan Innovation Party, Takaichi will likely be able to harness a supermajority to fast-track her priorities. “The LDP will not stand in her way, and there will be virtually no opposition ability to slow down her agenda,” said Tobias Harris, the founder of advisory firm Japan Foresight. Takaichi is working to persuade Trump to maintain US military and economic commitments in Asia; the two are set to meet in Washington in March. Trump backed her in a post on Truth Social on Friday, calling her a “strong, powerful and wise leader.” After her victory Sunday, Takaichi responded to Trump’s endorsement, writing on the social platform X that “the potential of our Alliance is LIMITLESS.”Takaichi is dealing with the fallout of China’s efforts to punish Japan over a comment she made in support of Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory. She said in Nov that Japan could intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan. China unleashed a wave of reprisals, restricting Japanese seafood imports, discouraging tourism to Japan and moving to limit the export of critical minerals to Japan. NYT