Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in Japan’s February 8 snap election marks one of the crucial hanging political comebacks in its current historical past. The Liberal Democratic Social gathering (LDP) gained 316 of 465 seats in Parliament’s decrease home, delivering its strongest post-war efficiency. When Ms. Takaichi turned Japan’s first lady Prime Minister in October 2025, the LDP, which has led Japan for all however 4 years since 1955, was reeling from back-to-back electoral setbacks and inside scandals. The get together had simply misplaced its majority within the Home of Councillors, the higher home, elevating doubts about its potential to control. Her rapid problem was to rapidly reverse the LDP’s declining fortunes and safe a transparent mandate for herself. A conservative nationalist carefully aligned with the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she superior a distinctly Trumpian agenda with Japanese traits. She pledged to crack down on immigration and stand as much as China’s army and financial affect within the area. Her authorities proposed to make it more durable for foreigners to turn into residents and in addition encourage potential residents to be taught Japanese. She withdrew an unpopular gas tax and promised extra tax cuts. Ms. Takaichi said that Japan may militarily intervene within the occasion of a Chinese language assault on Taiwan, upsetting Beijing to impose restrictions on Japanese seafood imports and limits on vital minerals exports to Japan.
Whereas her victory as the primary lady Prime Minister is historic, it’s formed by a paradox: the conservative ideology that defines her politics. She has made repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine. She opposes same-sex marriage, and lots of supporters have urged her to amend the Structure to take away the pacifist clauses. Though Ms. Takaichi enjoys heat ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, she additionally faces stress from Washington to maneuver in direction of a extra militarised safety posture. But when Ms. Takaichi makes use of the massive mandate to remilitarise Japan and undertake a extra muscular international coverage, she dangers putting herself on the unsuitable facet of historical past. Publish-war peace helped Japan rebuild an financial system devastated by battle and dramatically enhance residing requirements. Reasonably than issuing provocative statements that danger imperilling Japan’s financial ties with its largest buying and selling associate, she ought to return to the nation’s long-standing place of studied ambiguity over Taiwan and prioritise regional stability. Her focus must be on revitalising the financial system and addressing social challenges, together with an ageing inhabitants, stagnant wages and chronic gender inequality. The supermajority that she now instructions gives her a chance to maneuver past inflexible conservatism and pursue a extra pragmatic and inclusive agenda rooted in pacifism.
Revealed – February 11, 2026 12:10 am IST