Japan's first female prime minister leads ruling conservatives to election landslide

Japan’s conservative governing coalition has dramatically strengthened its grip on power after a landslide victory in yesterday’s elections in what will be seen as an early public endorsement of the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.

- Justin McCurry

Her Liberal Democratic party (LDP) was projected to win as many as 328 of the 465 seats in parliament’s lower house, well above the 233 it needed to regain the majority it lost in 2024. With her coalition partner, the Japan Innovation party, she now has a supermajority of two-thirds of seats, easing her legislative agenda as she can override the upper chamber, which she does not control.

A smiling Takaichi placed a red ribbon above each winner’s name on a signboard at the LDP’s headquarters as party executives applauded.

The 64-year-old, who called a snap election soon after becoming Japan’s first female prime minister last autumn, had vowed to resign if her coalition failed to secure a simple majority in the vote, which was held on a freezing day when many parts of the country were hit by heavy snow.

She will not have long to savour her party’s victory, however. There are concerns over her management of Japan's public finances and her ability to defuse a bitter row with China over Taiwan.

Takaichi sought to appeal to voters with a $135bn (£99bn) stimulus package aimed at easing the cost-of-living crisis, later promising to suspend the 8% consumption tax on food for two years - a ¥5tn (£24bn) hit to annual revenue.