Prime Minister Takaichi’s party wins landslide victory in Japan’s general election

Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi’s party has won a landslide victory in Japan’s general election. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of the 465 seats, Al Jazeera reported. Although the LDP needs 233 seats to form a government, it has won a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament. It has won huge public support, mainly on promises of tax cuts. The country held a general election yesterday (February 8). Although the official results have not yet been announced, the winning party has begun celebrating. US President Donald Trump congratulated Sanai Takaichi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent his greetings.
Although Sanai Takaichi is personally very popular, the LDP, which has been in power in Japan for most of the past seven decades, has recently come under pressure from a funding fraud and religious scandal. He called the snap election just three months after taking office, hoping to turn around the party’s political fortunes. With a two-thirds majority in parliament, Takaichi will now be able to fulfill his long-held dream of revising Japan’s “pacifist constitution.” This would pave the way for lifting legal restrictions on Japan’s post-World War II military. “We have consistently stressed the importance of a responsible and proactive fiscal policy. We will prioritize fiscal policy stability and ensure necessary investment,” Takaichi told reporters after his victory. Notably, early voting was lower than in previous elections. A week ago, about 4.6 million voters cast their ballots in advance. That’s 2.5 percentage points lower than in the 2024 election. This is believed to have been due to heavy snowfall in the north and west.