Takaichi wins big, Japan’s national broadcaster reportsAFP, TOKYOJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling coalition won a super-majority of at least two-thirds of the seats in yesterday’s snap lower house elections, national broadcaster NHK projected. Takaichi’s ruling bloc capitalized on her honeymoon start as Japan’s first female prime minister. If confirmed, it would be the best result for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since elections in 2017 under Takaichi’s mentor, assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. “We received backing for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s responsible, proactive fiscal policies and a strengthening of national defense capabilities,” LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki told Japanese media. The anti-immigration Sanseito party was projected to have increased its seats from two to between five and 14, NHK said.

Source: Taipei Times February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC