Historic victory: Japan’s ruling party wins election
9 February 06:09
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, won the early elections to the House of Representatives (lower house) of the Japanese parliament.
This was reported by Japanese television channel NHK, citing exit poll data. According to Reuters, the LDP won 316 seats in parliament out of 465, which is the best result in its history and a major victory for 64-year-old Sanae Takaichi, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
A total of 1,284 candidates took part in the election.
Japan’s first female prime minister had previously insisted on holding early elections to take advantage of her high popularity since her appointment as head of the ruling party at the end of 2025.
A total of 1,284 candidates took part in the election. They competed for 289 seats determined by voting in single-member constituencies, as well as 176 seats to be allocated according to party lists.
Sanae Takaichi is Japan’s “iron lady” who maintains ties with Trump
64-year-old Sanae Takaichi was appointed Prime Minister of Japan in October 2025. This was preceded by the voluntary resignation of Shigeru Ishiba, the former leader of the LDP. According to journalists, his dismissal was linked to the party’s defeat in the 2024 elections and the looming split in the LDP.
Takaichi is known for her right-wing views and is described as a staunch conservative, nationalist, and political heir to Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022 after stepping down as prime minister. Takaichi previously served twice as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Upon taking office as head of government, Sanae Takaichi promised to review Japan’s security and defense policies, strengthen the country’s offensive military capabilities, lift the ban on arms exports, and generally move away from the pacifist principles that Japan has adhered to since World War II. In addition, Takaichi is lobbying for tougher Japanese legislation on migrants.
Takai is also an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and calls herself Japan’s “Iron Lady.” After taking office, she managed to establish close ties with US President Donald Trump.
