PM Sanae Takaichi’s party wins supermajority in Japan snap elections

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party has won a landslide in Japan’s general election, securing a supermajority in the country’s lower house of parliament.

Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of the 465 seats in the powerful lower house in Sunday’s election, well above the 233 needed for a majority, according to results collated by public broadcaster NHK.
“We have consistently stressed the importance of responsible and proactive fiscal policy,” Takaichi told reporters after media projections showed her party triumphing in the snap election.

“We will prioritise the sustainability of fiscal policy. We will ensure necessary investments.”

While Takaichi is hugely popular, the ruling LDP, which has governed Japan for most of the last seven decades, has struggled due to funding and religious scandals. The PM called Sunday’s snap elections only after three months, in hopes of turning the party’s political fortunes.

However, Takaichi’s election promise to suspend the eight percent sales tax on food to help households cope with rising prices has spooked investors, who are concerned about how the nation with the heaviest debt burden among advanced economies will fund the plan.

Nevertheless, residents trudged through winter weather to cast their ballots, with record snowfall in parts of the country snarling traffic and requiring some polling stations to close early.
While Takaichi is hugely popular, the ruling LDP, which has governed Japan for most of the last seven decades, has struggled due to funding and religious scandals. The PM called Sunday’s snap elections only after three months, in hopes of turning the party’s political fortunes.

However, Takaichi’s election promise to suspend the eight percent sales tax on food to help households cope with rising prices has spooked investors, who are concerned about how the nation with the heaviest debt burden among advanced economies will fund the plan.

Nevertheless, residents trudged through winter weather to cast their ballots, with record snowfall in parts of the country snarling traffic and requiring some polling stations to close early.
“I look forward to visiting the White House this spring and to continuing our work together to further strengthen the Japan–U.S. Alliance,” she wrote on X.

Underlining that the partnership is “built on deep trust and close, strong cooperation”, she added that “the potential of our Alliance is LIMITLESS”.

US-Japan trade was $317bn in 2024, and the two nations also have a longstanding security alliance, with some 50,000 US forces based in Japan, a lynchpin of the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific.