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Will Sunday's Snap Election Gamble Pay Off for Japan's First Female Premier?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to increase the Liberal Democratic Party’s seats from 233 to possibly 300 to secure a majority amid economic and geopolitical challenges.
- On Sunday, Sanae Takaichi called a snap lower‑house election for 8 February to convert her popularity into a parliamentary majority and capture control of the 465‑seat lower house and budget committee.
- At a Jan. 19 press conference, Takaichi said she sought a public mandate and political stability to pursue divisive reforms, backed by approval ratings from the mid‑fifties to high sixties.
- Polls show the LDP could win 233 or more of the 465 seats, while more than 4.5 million early voters have cast ballots, though heavy snow in northern Japan could hinder turnout.
- Victory would likely mean an early meeting with Trump and policy shifts toward constitutional revision and defense, if the LDP wins a landslide, Takaichi would strengthen her hawkish stance.
- Even with a majority, stagnant wages, a weak yen, and cost‑of‑living pressures remain immediate challenges, while the upper house's lack of a coalition majority risks legislative gridlock.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Japan's drum-playing, Trump-hugging, China-provoking PM Sanae Takaichi raises the stakes
In Tokyo, just a few hours before polls opened in the snap election she called, hundreds of people crowded into a park to see Sanae Takaichi. Despite the bitter temperatures and the fact many struggled to see her over the sea of heads, there was a sense something significant was unfolding.
Snap elections are often a sign of political turmoil, but not in Japan. When Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved parliament in January and scheduled elections for February 8, it was not, as in France, a sign of paralysis or weakness.
FOCUS: PM Takaichi aims to push proactive defense policy with election win
The Liberal Democratic Party seeks to accelerate Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's drive to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities by scoring a landslide victory in Sunday's general election, hoping to crush those that think the country is going too fast in that direction.
Japan's first female prime minister counts on popularity to help party win election
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is seeking to leverage her popularity to help her party win Sunday’s snap election as she pushes her right-wing agenda to boost her country's economy and military capabilities in the face growing tensions with Chin...
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