A new Japan is about to emerge that is sure to frighten China after a landslide victory by Japan’s conservative party leaves leftists with only 5 seats in the parliament. The victory is credited to Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who appeared to take a risk by calling for a snap election soon after her party appointed her Prime Minister.
The gamble has paid off, leaving conservatives with a super majority that will most likely alter Japan’s passivist constitution. One of the major changes expected is ending Japan’s self-imposed limitations on military spending and operations. President Trump congratulated the PM, sharing on Truth Social, “Congratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Coalition on a LANDSLIDE Victory in today’s very important Vote. She is a highly respected and very popular Leader. Sanae’s bold and wise decision to call for an Election paid off big time.”
Japanese stocks surge to record high as PM Takaichi wins landslide election victory – BBC
The LDP has woken up this morning to a very different reality. This is a party that’s gone from a humbling loss of its majority in 2024 to regaining full legislative control — sweeping parliamentary power back into its hands.
“Landslide victory” says the Yomiuri newspaper front page headline. “LDP Achieves Absolute Stable Majority on Its Own” was the headline splashed across the Asahi’s front page. All of them marked by sweeping red banners at the top of the page, signalling the governing party’s historic result.
It’s worth remembering just how dramatic this turnaround is.
Back in October 2024, Takaichi’s predecessor took a similar gamble — and lost badly. That snap election delivered the LDP’s worst-ever results, costing the party its majority in the House of Representatives, and ultimately costing Ishiba his job.
Hanging over the party at the time was deep public anger: fury at the mishandling of financial scandals, and frustration over the LDP’s links to the controversial Unification Church — all playing out as Japanese households struggled under the weight of rising prices.
Fast forward to February 2026, and many of those issues haven’t gone away. Households are still under pressure. The financial scandals haven’t been properly dealt with. But the LDP has been carried back on a wave of Sanae Takaichi’s popularity.