Japan’s Sanae Takaichi wins a landslide in snap election, exit polls project

Conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide victory after betting on a high-stakes early election, exit polls suggest.

Takaichi, who took office in October after being elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is expected to win between 274 and 326 seats out of a total of 465, according to a poll conducted by Japanese public broadcaster NHK after Sunday’s election.

As of Sunday evening local time, his party had already surpassed the 233 seats needed for a majority.

Polls show the LDP and its current coalition partner, Ishin, together are expected to win 302 to 366 seats in the Lower House, as voters turned out in a frosty climate in a rare winter election.

The far-right Sanseito party, which promises to give priority to the “Japanese”, could win up to 14 seats, according to the poll, which would quadruple its number, but it is far from the 30 seats it had set for itself.

Takaichi’s early election took his party, the opposition and a large part of the electorate by surprise, but his gamble, fueled by the power of his personality and the unlikely help of young voters consumed by “Sanamania”, seems to have paid off.

The country’s first female prime minister had sought direct public support in her bid to increase Japan’s defense capabilities and strengthen its influence on the world stage.

His ambitious agenda reflects a growing sense of urgency in Japan, which faces security threats from China and North Korea, even as the United States, its most important ally, turns its attention to the Western Hemisphere and avoids antagonizing China ahead of reciprocal visits by Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Among world leaders, Takaichi appears to have one of the most positive relationships with Trump, having sympathized with the US president during his visit to Japan days after taking office in October.

Trump endorsed Takaichi in a Truth Social article Thursday, calling her a “strong, powerful and wise leader.”

“During my visit to Japan, I and all of my representatives were extremely impressed by her,” Trump said, adding that he and Takaichi would meet at the White House on March 19.

U.S. presidents generally do not support candidates for elections in other countries, but Trump has done so on several occasions.

Relations with China have been less positive, after Takaichi told lawmakers in November that a Chinese attack on the island of Taiwan, claimed by Beijing, could trigger a Japanese military response. Nationalists applauded Takaichi for the remark, which went much further than sitting Japanese leaders had done before, while others criticized it as reckless.

China, one of Japan’s major trading partners, responded by reimposing a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, implementing restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals and warning Chinese nationals against traveling to Japan.

Takachi had said she would resign if her ruling coalition lost its majority, but she instead appears poised to secure a large majority for her LDP party, which has led Japanese governments for much of the country’s postwar history.

His popularity comes even as much of the public remains skeptical of his party, which has been plagued by scandals and suffered two embarrassing defeats in parliamentary elections in the past two years.

For many voters, Takaichi – a motorcycle enthusiast and heavy metal drummer – represents a refreshing change of pace in Japan’s male-dominated politics, despite his traditionalist views not always seen as advancing women and the appointment of only two women to his cabinet.

Much of the hype about Takaichi is based less on his politics than on his style, with his promise to “work, work, work, work and work” named slogan of the year. Items associated with her have gone viral, from the pink ballpoint pen she uses to take notes in Parliament to her $900 black leather handbag, now sold out months in advance.

His social media savvy has also earned him more than 2.6 million followers on X, nearly five times that of his predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. Support for Takaichi was particularly high among young people: more than 80%, according to some polls.