PM Takaichi eyes two-thirds majority as Japan goes to snap polls

Japan votes in snap elections with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poised for a sweeping victory, as strong polling, youthful support and tough rhetoric raise stakes for markets and relations with China

Japanese voters cast their ballots on Sunday in a snap election that appears set to hand Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a decisive mandate, extending her early popularity and potentially unsettling both Beijing and global markets.

Pre-election surveys, analysed by AFP, point to a
clear victory for Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japanese politics for much of the postwar era. Polls indicate the party will comfortably clear the 233 seats required for a majority in the 465-seat lower house. Some projections—offered cautiously due to undecided voters and harsh winter conditions—suggest the LDP and its coalition ally could reach the 310 seats needed for a two-thirds supermajority.

Such an outcome would mark the party’s strongest performance since 2017, when former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s mentor, achieved a similar landslide.

“The future is something you have to build with your own hands,” Takaichi said in a YouTube campaign video that has racked up millions of views. “The LDP will lead the way,” she added.

Takaichi’s rise has defied early scepticism. A former heavy-metal drummer, admirer of Margaret Thatcher, and once considered an ultra-conservative outsider, she has struck a chord with voters, particularly the youth. Her image has been amplified online, with supporters sharing everything from her fashion choices to clips of her singing a K-pop song alongside South Korea’s president.

“I came just to have a look at her. I think she is amazing,” Yuka Ando, a 17-year-old high-school student told AFP, who attended one of Takaichi’s campaign events in Tokyo.

On policy, Takaichi has adopted a hard line on immigration, a move that has helped blunt momentum behind the populist Sanseito party.

Immigration screening “has already become a little stricter, so that terrorists, and also industrial spies, cannot enter easily”, she said on Saturday.

“We must properly examine whether (foreigners) are paying taxes, whether they are paying their health insurance premiums,” she added.

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Scrutiny grows over economic management

Despite her popularity, Takaichi has faced criticism over economic management. Soon after taking office, she rolled out a $135-billion stimulus package to counter inflation and later promised to suspend the consumption tax on food.

Japan’s public debt stands at more than twice the size of its economy, while long-term bond yields have hit record levels and the yen has fluctuated sharply in recent weeks.

Tensions with China have also intensified. Early in her tenure, Takaichi suggested Japan could step in militarily if Beijing tried to seize Taiwan, triggering a furious response.

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