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A gamble by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to hold a snap election soon after taking power has paid off handsomely, handing her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a historic landslide that effectively gives her a free hand in opposing China, assuaging U.S. President Donald Trump, and providing handouts to voters hit by rising inflation.

The election also provides a new lease on life for the long-ruling LDP, which appeared in serious trouble after disastrous results in the October 2024 election, when the party, along with its coalition partner, lost its majority in the House of Representatives, the more powerful, lower house of Japan’s parliament. With the rise of new more telegenic parties with a right-wing bent, there was talk that the reign of the LDP, which has ruled the country for all but six of the last 70 years, might finally be over.

A gamble by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to hold a snap election soon after taking power has paid off handsomely, handing her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a historic landslide that effectively gives her a free hand in opposing China, assuaging U.S. President Donald Trump, and providing handouts to voters hit by rising inflation.

The election also provides a new lease on life for the long-ruling LDP, which appeared in serious trouble after disastrous results in the October 2024 election, when the party, along with its coalition partner, lost its majority in the House of Representatives, the more powerful, lower house of Japan’s parliament. With the rise of new more telegenic parties with a right-wing bent, there was talk that the reign of the LDP, which has ruled the country for all but six of the last 70 years, might finally be over.

But, as with the U.S. Republican Party, the new LDP is in effect a party of one, at least for now. Heading into Sunday’s election, Takaichi was boasting approval ratings of 57-68 percent, compared with just 30 percent for the party overall.

Her popularity propelled the LDP to 316 of 465 seats in the House of Representatives. Most importantly, it gives the party a two-thirds supermajority for the first time in post-World War II history. This lopsided result means it can override vetoes by the upper house. Japan’s House of Councillors has its own election schedule and is still controlled by the opposition and therefore could have been a brake on Takaichi.

The LDP........

© Foreign Policy