Japan's first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has won her risky bet: With a landslide victory in the snap lower house election, she secures a supermajority and thus a clear path for her radical reform agenda.
A legislative hammer
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won over 310 of the 465 seats alone. Together with its coalition partner "Ishin," Takaichi now has a two-thirds majority.
- This means: She can override upper house vetoes and has enough political capital to amend Japan's pacifist constitution for the first time since World War II.
Who reacted how?
China 🇨🇳
Beijing is likely to watch the election result with concern. Shortly after taking office, Takaichi triggered the biggest dispute with China in over a decade when she publicly outlined how Japan might react to a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Beijing responded with export restrictions on rare earths and travel warnings.
USA 🇺🇸
US President Trump congratulated the "LANDSLIDE Victory" on Truth Social and confirmed a White House meeting in March.
Markets 📈
Financial markets reacted euphorically to the prospect of political stability and new stimulus packages. The Nikkei 225 shot up by over 4% on Monday morning, reaching new all-time highs. Investors are betting that Takaichi can now push through her record $783 billion budget without resistance.
What’s next
Date | Event |
February 18 | Special session for the re-election of the Prime Minister |
March 19 | Takaichi's visit to the White House |
April | Trump visits Xi Jinping in China |
June | Basic policy document on economic and fiscal policy |
November | APEC summit in Shenzhen – possible Takaichi-Xi meeting |
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