{"id":282077,"date":"2026-02-09T12:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/282077\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T12:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:17:14","slug":"japans-takaichi-secures-historic-supermajority-in-landslide-election-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/282077\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s Takaichi secures historic supermajority in landslide election victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Japan\u2019s conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi<\/a> swept to a landslide victory in a snap election on Sunday, marking a historic turnaround for her party, which had been hemorrhaging voter support in recent years \u2014 until she stepped to the helm.\n <\/p>\n

\n Since she was elected more than four months ago \u2013 becoming Japan\u2019s first female leader in a country where men have long dominated politics \u2013 Takaichi has enjoyed sky high approval ratings<\/a> and a glowing endorsement from US President Donald Trump.\n <\/p>\n

\n She won over many voters with her notoriously strong work ethic, savvy social media game and charisma<\/a>, marked in viral moments such as a recent impromptu drum session<\/a> with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung \u2013 stoking public enthusiasm to levels not seen since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n <\/p>\n

\n It was a gamble to call a snap election. But Takaichi hoped to translate her own popularity into a stronger mandate for her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) \u2013 which has been weakened in recent years by a scandal involving the misuse of political funds.\n <\/p>\n

\n Her risky move paid off. The LDP won more than 310 of the 465 seats in Japan\u2019s lower house of parliament, 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.\n <\/p>\n

\n Crucially, the two-thirds supermajority in the lower house will allow Takaichi\u2019s party to override votes in the upper house of parliament and to propose amendments to the constitution.\n <\/p>\n

\n In an interview with public broadcaster NHK, Takaichi thanked the voters who \u201cbraved the cold and walked through the snowy roads to cast their votes.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI wanted the voters to give me a mandate because I advocated for responsible, proactive fiscal policy that would significantly shift economic and fiscal policy,\u201d she added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Writing on X<\/a> Sunday, Takaichi thanked Trump for his endorsement earlier this month and said the potential of the US-Japan alliance was \u201cLIMITLESS.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump celebrated Takaichi\u2019s victory in a social media post on Sunday.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cCongratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Coalition on a LANDSLIDE Victory in today\u2019s very important Vote. She is a highly respected and very popular Leader. Sanae\u2019s bold and wise decision to call for an Election paid off big time,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\n The US leader added that it was his \u201chonor\u201d to endorse Takaichi and her coalition in the election.\n <\/p>\n

\n Sunday\u2019s remarkable result also means Takaichi\u2019s party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, will have the numbers to chair all lower house committees.\n <\/p>\n

\n The election outcome will give Takaichi a fresh mandate to tackle challenges such as Japan\u2019s rapidly aging population, the rising cost of living, a weak yen, and soured relations with China.\n <\/p>\n

\n Japan\u2019s stock market responded favorably, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 index surging more than 5% to a fresh intraday high on expectations of tax cuts and higher government spending. The index, which tracks the largest companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed almost 4% higher Monday.\n <\/p>\n

\n 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.\n <\/p>\n

\n She won the LDP presidency on October 4, her third attempt at the job, and was elected prime minister on October 21 \u2013 a surprising triumph in Japan\u2019s deeply patriarchal political system.\n <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n Her decision to dissolve parliament three months later, she said in a January 19 press conference, was a \u201cprofoundly weighty decision,\u201d adding that \u201cby doing so, I am also putting my position as prime minister on the line.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Takaichi has enjoyed unusually high approval ratings during her short tenure, in which she has made waves for her relaxed, friendly interactions<\/a> with other world leaders.\n <\/p>\n

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

\n \u201cShe is a delight,\u201d Trump told business leaders after they met. \u201cI got to know her pretty well in a short period of time.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Days before the election, Trump gave his \u201ctotal endorsement\u201d of Takaichi, writing in a post to Truth Social that she \u201chas already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country.\u201d He added he plans to welcome Takaichi to Washington in March.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump also enjoyed a close bond with Takaichi\u2019s mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated in July 2022.\n <\/p>\n

\n Takaichi\u2019s decisive leadership style and support for traditional values have drawn comparisons to Margaret Thatcher, whom she cites as inspiration.\n <\/p>\n

\n But it hasn\u2019t all been sunny for Japan\u2019s first woman leader. She has been scrutinized for her relentless work schedule, which included calling a 3 a.m. meeting with aides.\n <\/p>\n

\n Comments she made about Taiwan, the democratic island claimed by China, also cratered Tokyo\u2019s relationship with Beijing.\n <\/p>\n

\n Takaichi broke Japan\u2019s long tradition of ambiguity on Taiwan<\/a> when she told parliament in November that a Chinese attack on the island \u2013 which lies just 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Japanese territory \u2013 could trigger a military response from Tokyo.\n <\/p>\n

\n China retaliated by canceling flights, restricting imports of Japanese seafood and ramping up military patrols, among other measures.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi swept to a landslide victory in a snap election on Sunday, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-282077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}