Japan’s conservative prime minister Sanae Takaichi has won a landslide victory after she gambled on a high-stakes snap election, exit polls suggest.
Takaichi, who took office in October after being elected leader of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is set to win between 274 and 326 seats out of a total of 465, according to the poll by Japanese public broadcaster NHK after Sunday’s election, well above the 233 needed for a majority.
The polls show LDP and its current coalition partner Ishin are projected to win a combined 302-366 lower house seats, as voters turned out amid freezing temperatures in a rare winter election.
The far-right Sanseito party that promises to put “Japanese First” may take up to 14 seats, according to the poll, which would quadruple its numbers, but falls short of the 30 seats it had targeted.
Takaichi’s snap election caught her party, the opposition, and much of the electorate off guard, but her gamble, fueled by the power of her personality and some unlikely help from young voters consumed by “Sanamania,” appears to have paid off.
The nation’s first female prime minister had sought direct public backing in her bid to increase Japan’s defense capabilities and boost its influence on the world stage.
Her ambitious agenda reflects a growing sense of urgency in Japan, which faces security threats from China and North Korea even as the U.S., its most important ally, shifts attention to the Western Hemisphere and avoids antagonizing China ahead of reciprocal visits by Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Among world leaders, Takaichi appears to have one of the most positive relationships with Trump, hitting it off with the U.S. president when he visited Japan days after she took office in October.
Trump endorsed Takaichi in a Truth Social post on Thursday, calling her “a strong, powerful, and wise” leader.
“In my visit to Japan I, and all of my Representatives, were extremely impressed with her,” Trump said, adding that he and Takaichi would meet at the White House on March 19.
U.S. presidents do not typically endorse candidates in other countries’ elections, but Trump has done so on multiple occasions.
Relations with China have been less positive, after Takaichi told lawmakers in November that a Chinese attack on the Beijing-claimed island of Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response. Nationalists cheered Takaichi for the remark, which went much further than sitting Japanese leaders have previously, while others criticized it as reckless.
China, one of Japan’s biggest trading partners, responded by reimposing a ban on Japanese seafood imports, implementing restrictions on rare earth mineral exports, and warning Chinese nationals against traveling to Japan.
Takachi had said she would step down if her ruling coalition lost its majority, but instead looks set to secure a large majority for her LDP party, which has led Japanese governments for much of the country’s postwar history.
Her popularity comes even as much of the public remains skeptical of her party, which has been dogged by scandals and suffered two embarrassing parliamentary election losses in the last two years.
For many voters, Takaichi — a motorbike enthusiast and heavy metal drummer — is a refreshing change of pace in Japan’s male-dominated politics, despite having traditionalist views that are not always seen as advancing women, and the appointment of just two women in her cabinet.
Much of the craze for Takaichi has been based less on her policies than on her style, with her pledge to “work, work, work, work and work” being named catchphrase of the year. Items associated with her have gone viral, from the pink ballpoint pen she uses to take notes in parliament to her $900 black leather handbag, now sold out months in advance.
Her social media savvy has also gained her more than 2.6 million followers on X, almost five times that of her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. Takaichi’s support was especially high among young people — more than 80%, according to some polls
