Takachi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to win about 300 seats in the lower house of parliament, far more than the 233 seats needed for a majority, national broadcaster NHK reported based on exit poll projections.
NHK said the LDP, together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), was projected to win 310 seats, giving them a two-thirds majority.
“We received (voters’) support for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s responsible, proactive fiscal policies and strengthening national defense capabilities,” LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki told media.
Takaichi dissolved parliament in January and called snap elections, a gambit he hoped would give him and his struggling party a stronger position in parliament in the new year.
While Takaichi remains extremely popular, especially among young voters, his conservative LDP, which has ruled the country for most of the past seven decades, has been hit by scandals and faces a new opposition coalition that has emerged as a potential challenger.
Takaichi aims to strengthen ‘unlimited’ alliance with Washington
After the seat projections became clear, Takachi made a post on Twitter thanking US President Donald Trump for his support.
“I look forward to visiting the White House this spring and continuing to work together to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance,” he wrote.
“Our alliance and friendship with the United States is built on deep trust and close, strong cooperation. The potential of our alliance is limitless.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant was among the first international figures to reflect on Takaichi’s victory.
“The prime minister called a snap election … and boy, did he get a big win today,” Besant said on Fox News on Sunday.
He said Takaichi has a “great relationship” with US President Donald Trump and that “when Japan is strong, America is strong in Asia.”
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te also congratulated Takaichi when the results were announced.
“May your victory bring a more prosperous and secure future for Japan and its partners in the region,” Lai said on social media.
What do projections mean?
The projections confirm opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s national elections: The LDP alone will easily win the 233 seats needed for a majority in the 465-member lower house of parliament.
Projections on Sunday night showed the LDP and its coalition partner, the populist JIP, would cross the 310 seats needed for a two-thirds majority.
This would allow the coalition to dominate the upper house, which is controlled by the opposition.
It would be the strongest result for the LDP since Takachi’s mentor Shinzo Abe won in 2017. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was assassinated in 2022.
Such a victory would mean a significant shift to the right in Japanese politics. The LDP, which has a narrow majority after a poor showing in the 2024 elections, has struggled to advance the legislation.
Takaichi had said she would step down if the LDP failed to win a majority.
NHK projections showed that the newly formed centrist Reform Alliance and the far-right Sensitō Party were unable to pose a serious threat to the incumbent prime minister.
Broadcaster NHK said the coalition looked set to lose more than two-thirds of its 167 seats, while the far-right party’s seats were projected to rise by two to between five and 14.
Who is Sanae Takaichi?
Takaichi became the first female Prime Minister of Japan in October.
She has cited former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – known as the “Iron Lady” – as an inspiration, and her pledge to “work, work, work, work and work” has appealed to voters.
An ultraconservative and pro-China, she wants to boost Japan’s defense spending and capabilities amid rising tensions with Beijing and pressure from US President Donald Trump, with whom she has good relations.
She is also pushing for stricter immigration policies and to revive Japan’s economy.
The election was held against the backdrop of record snowfall in many areas of the country in recent weeks, which could delay vote counting or hamper access to polling stations in some areas, even Tokyo.
Roads have been blocked due to snow and dozens of people have died.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico
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