Japan’s Takaichi tightens grip on power with stunning victory in snap election

By Yumi Asada, Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s high-stakes gamble on a snap election has paid off, with voters handing her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a big majority Sunday, according to public broadcaster NHK.

After an election framed as a referendum on Takaichi herself, the LDP party won more than 310 of the 465 seats in Japan’s lower house, marking the first time since World War II that a single party has secured a two-thirds majority. The broader ruling coalition won more than 340 seats.

In an interview with NHK, Takaichi thanked the voters who “braved the cold and walked through the snowy roads to cast their votes.”

“I wanted the voters to give me a mandate because I advocated for responsible, proactive fiscal policy that would significantly shift economic and fiscal policy,” she added.

The hardline conservative, who enjoys US President Donald Trump’s endorsement, has seen high approval ratings since she was elected less than four months ago, making history as the first woman to lead Japan.

She has won over the public with her strong work ethic, savvy social media game and charisma, marked in viral moments such as a recent impromptu drum session to K-pop hits with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

In calling an early election, she hoped to translate her own popularity into a stronger mandate for her party, which has been weakened in recent years by a scandal involving the misuse of political funds. She had asked the Japanese electorate for a fresh mandate to push through her fiscal expansion agenda for the world’s fourth-largest economy – and she got it.

Writing on X Sunday, Takaichi thanked Trump for his endorsement earlier this month and said the potential of the US-Japan alliance was “LIMITLESS.”

The two-thirds supermajority it now enjoys in the lower house will allow Takaichi’s party to override votes in the upper house of parliament and to propose amendments to the constitution.

Sunday’s remarkable result also means Takaichi’s party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, will have the numbers to chair all lower house committees.

The election outcome will give Takaichi a fresh mandate to tackle challenges such as Japan’s rapidly aging population, the rising cost of living, a weak yen, and soured relations with China.

Putting her leadership on the line

Takaichi, a longtime lawmaker, rose to the top of Japanese politics last fall after her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, resigned amid pressure from his own party following a series of bruising defeats for the LDP.

She won the LDP presidency on October 4, her third attempt at the job, and was elected prime minister on October 21 – a surprising triumph in Japan’s deeply patriarchal political system.

Her decision to dissolve parliament three months later, she said in a January 19 press conference, was a “profoundly weighty decision,” adding that “by doing so, I am also putting my position as prime minister on the line.”

Takaichi has enjoyed unusually high approval ratings during her short tenure, in which she has made waves for her relaxed, friendly interactions with other world leaders.

During a meeting with the US president just one week into her term, Trump and Takaichi looked more like old friends than world leaders.

“She is a delight,” Trump told business leaders after they met. “I got to know her pretty well in a short period of time.”

Days before the election, Trump gave his “total endorsement” of Takaichi, writing in a post to Truth Social that she “has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country.” He added he plans to welcome Takaichi to Washington in March.

Trump also enjoyed a close bond with Takaichi’s mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated in July 2022.

Takaichi’s decisive leadership style and support for traditional values have drawn comparisons to Margaret Thatcher, whom she cites as inspiration.

But it hasn’t all been sunny for Japan’s first woman leader. She has been scrutinized for her relentless work schedule, which included calling a 3 a.m. meeting with aides.

Comments she made about Taiwan, the democratic island claimed by China, also cratered Tokyo’s relationship with Beijing.

Takaichi broke Japan’s long tradition of ambiguity on Taiwan when she told parliament in November that a Chinese attack on the island – which lies just 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Japanese territory – could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

China retaliated by canceling flights, restricting imports of Japanese seafood and ramping up military patrols, among other measures.

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CNN’s Hanako Montgomery and Sophie Tanno contributed reporting.