Takaichi carried Japan’s ruling LDP to stunning election win: Analyst

0 February 9, 2026 07:15

Japanese voters have handed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a powerful mandate, delivering her ruling coalition a crushing victory in Sunday’s (Feb 8) lower house election. The victory marks a stellar turnaround for her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been on a political decline in recent years. Sheila Smith, a John E Merow senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at think tank Council on Foreign Relations, tells CNA’s Asia First the credit largely goes to Takaichi, whose personal appeal mobilised supporters amid snowy conditions to flock to the ballot boxes. Read more: https://cna.asia/4tq2pGa

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