LDP Rides Wave of Takaichi’s Popularity to Landslide Win; PM’s Political Gambit Pays off

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:53 JST, February 9, 2026

With the Liberal Democratic Party having pulled off a historic landslide victory in the House of Representatives election, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has strengthened the government’s foundation and gained significant momentum to advance key policies, such as her “responsible and proactive public finances.”

Takaichi, who is also LDP president, intends to continue the coalition government with the Japan Innovation Party while her putting her full effort into addressing domestic and foreign policy challenges. A consumption tax reduction on food items will be another key focus.

During the election campaign, Takaichi said she was “seeking a mandate for policy change,” asking for trust in the LDP-JIP coalition government. She also said she would “implement bold policies and reforms that could divide national opinion and shift things into a higher gear.”

With her prominent pledge to spur economic growth through “responsible and proactive public finances,” Takaichi increased the public’s expectation that the current economic stagnation would be overcome. The move won support from conservative and young voters who, in recent elections, are said to have shifted to parties like the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito. She also captured the nonpartisan vote.

The primary driving force behind the historic victory was strong support for the prime minister herself. Cabinet approval ratings remained high even after the lower house was dissolved. The prime minister declared, “Let the people decide whether it’s acceptable for Sanae Takaichi to remain as prime minister,” strongly conveying to voters that the election would be a vote of confidence in her and thereby spreading her popularity to LDP candidates.

Massive crowds formed at campaign rallies that Takaichi attended, with higher-than-usual numbers of people actively taking LDP pamphlets featuring her photo. Many campaign teams said that this lower house election was completely different from the last one.

Takaichi’s repeated, explicit statement that she would resign if the ruling coalition failed to secure a majority also proved effective. She framed the race as a contest between “the faces of the parties,” referring to herself and Yoshihiko Noda, coleader of the Centrist Reform Alliance. As a result, she won votes from those who support her and her Cabinet.

The 16-day period from lower house dissolution to election day, the shortest since the end of World War II, also proved advantageous, allowing the momentum to be maintained throughout the campaign period.

Within the LDP, more and more party members believe that the prime minister, who won such a decisive battle, “has increased the strength of her unifying force,” an LDP source said. “She will take the lead in governing the administration and the party and be able to more easily assert her own style.”

The prime minister will first focus all her efforts on quickly passing a fiscal 2026 budget bill. Based on a coalition agreement with the JIP, she also intends to advance key policies such as promptly revising three security documents — including the National Security Strategy — and establishing a National Intelligence Bureau.

The LDP became a minority ruling party after the 2024 lower house election, which forced it to navigate a precarious parliamentary situation. Now, with the ruling bloc having secured over 310 seats — a two-thirds majority — parliamentary discussions will proceed at the ruling party’s pace.

The LDP is also expected to regain control of the lower house’s Budget Committee chair, a position held by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan before the election.

In the House of Councillors, which has 248 seats with one vacancy, the ruling coalition bloc holds only 120 seats, falling short of a majority. However, if a bill that has been passed by the lower house is rejected or not voted on within 60 days in the upper house, it can still be passed in the lower house with a second vote supported by at least two-thirds of representatives.

Therefore, the ruling coalition is likely to strengthen its negotiating power against opposition parties in the upper house as well.

To further stabilize the government’s foundation, Takaichi is also considering expanding the coalition framework. Appearing on a Nippon TV program on Sunday evening, she said, “If there are parties willing to work with us, I’d like to work with them.”