Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured her mandate this Sunday with a devastating victory: the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 328 of the 465 seats in the Lower House and, with the support of the Ishin party, surpassed the two-thirds threshold, a result that will allow her to legislate without blockages and accelerate her agenda of rearmament, tax cuts and structural reforms.
First modification: 02/08/2026 - 13:23
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The Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has strengthened her mandate this Sunday after an electoral victory that clears the way to implement her defense plans and economic policies.
According to projections, the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) of the president – the first woman to hold the position – would reach 328 seats of the 465 that make up the lower house.
Just two hours after the closing of schools, the PLD already secured the absolute majority alone, achieving one of its best historical records.
The alliance with the Ishin party gives Takaichi a two-thirds supermajority, allowing him to bypass the upper house blockade and accelerate his legislative agenda.
"This election involved major policy shifts, in particular, a major change in economic and fiscal policy, as well as the strengthening of security policy," Takaichi said in a television interview as the results were announced.
The head of Japan's main business association, Keidanren, Yoshinobu Tsutsui, celebrated Takaichi's victory for restoring political stability. "The Japanese economy is now at a critical juncture to achieve sustainable and strong growth," he said.
The LDP, which has ruled Japan for almost all of its postwar history, had lost control of both houses in elections held over the past 15 months under Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.
Takaichi managed to turn around the party's fortunes by connecting with younger voters.
In addition, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, gave her his "full support" last week and said he would receive her at the White House next month.
Media projections announced early on that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would achieve a large majority in the Lower House of Parliament after the legislative elections. Although the official results would not be known until Monday during the day.
In these elections, which began under the snow in the capital and in much of the country, Sanae Takaichi, 64, hoped to boost the results of the PLD (nationalist right), which he has led since the fall.
On January 19, the prime minister announced the dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament, kicking off a historic 16-day blitzkrieg. Supported by very good popularity, she even turned the election into a personal matter, asking voters: "Is Takaichi fit to be prime minister? I wanted to let the sovereign people decide."
Read alsoFirst electoral exam for Sanae Takaichi, the "Iron Lady" of Japan
A great admirer of Margaret Thatcher, she vowed to "press the growth button." Regarding immigration, he noted that the criteria "have already become a little stricter, so that terrorists, but also industrial spies, cannot enter easily."
His program, which includes in particular increased spending and tax cuts, is closely watched by financial markets, which wonder how these measures will be financed in an already heavily indebted country.
This article is adapted from its original in French and Reuters
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