Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s high-stakes gamble on a snap election has paid off, with voters handing her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a big majority Sunday, according to public broadcaster NHK.
After an election framed as a referendum on Takaichi herself, the LDP party won more than 310 of the 465 seats in Japan’s lower house, marking the first time since World War II that a single party has secured a two-thirds majority. The broader ruling coalition won more than 340 seats.
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The hardline conservative, who enjoys US President Donald Trump’s endorsement, has seen high approval ratings since she was elected less than four months ago, making history as the first woman to lead Japan.
She has won over the public with her strong work ethic, savvy social media game and charisma, marked in viral moments such as a recent impromptu drum session to K-pop hits with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
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The two-thirds supermajority it now enjoys in the lower house will allow Takaichi’s party to override votes in the upper house of parliament and to propose amendments to the constitution.
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Takaichi, a longtime lawmaker, rose to the top of Japanese politics last fall after her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, resigned amid pressure from his own party following a series of bruising defeats for the LDP.
She won the LDP presidency on October 4, her third attempt at the job, and was elected prime minister on October 21 – a surprising triumph in Japan’s deeply patriarchal political system.
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Takaichi has enjoyed unusually high approval ratings during her short tenure, in which she has made waves for her relaxed, friendly interactions with other world leaders.
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Takaichi broke Japan’s long tradition of ambiguity on Taiwan when she told parliament in November that a Chinese attack on the island – which lies just 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Japanese territory – could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
China retaliated by canceling flights, restricting imports of Japanese seafood and ramping up military patrols, among other measures.