Japan’s Team Mirai Secures 11 Seats in Its 1st Lower House Election, All in Proportional Representation Segment

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:08 JST, February 9, 2026

Team Mirai secured 11 seats in the proportional representation segment in its first House of Representatives election, achieving the party’s goal of winning “five or more seats.”

Mirai fielded a total of 14 candidates. Its campaign pledges included lowering social insurance premiums and investing in growth industries like artificial intelligence.

Regarding consumption tax cuts, a policy advocated by many ruling and opposition parties, Mirai took a cautious stance, and party leader Takahiro Anno said, “There is concern that stimulating demand could further fuel inflation, meaning a hasty tax cut carries risks.”

“We were the only ones saying consumption tax cuts shouldn’t be done,” Anno said in an NHK program on Sunday evening. “For those who believe tax cuts aren’t necessary, we may have become their choice.”

Anno is a well-known AI engineer. During the election campaign, he regularly communicated via social media and held street speeches nationwide, broadening his support base, particularly among young people.

For the vote on the fiscal 2025 supplementary budget during last autumn’s extraordinary Diet session, Mirai formed a policy agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors and voted in favor of the bill. The ruling coalition still lacks a majority in the House of Councillors, so attention is likely to focus on Mirai’s future moves.