Sanae Takaichi just made history twice over. She’s not only Japan’s first female Prime Minister, but she’s also delivered the Liberal Democratic Party its most crushing electoral victory since the party was founded in 1955. We’re talking about a two-thirds majority in the lower house, the kind of numbers that let you basically do whatever you want.
And she knows it. At LDP headquarters after the results came in, Takaichi didn’t mince words about her plans to pursue policies that could “split public opinion.” That’s political speak for “I’m about to do some controversial stuff and I have the votes to pull it off.”
The snap election happened under pretty brutal conditions too. Japan’s shortest campaign period since World War II, massive snowstorms blanketing the country, and yet 90% of LDP candidates won their races. That’s not just a victory, that’s a mandate that most politicians can only dream about.
The Numbers That Change Everything
A two-thirds majority isn’t just impressive on paper. It’s the magic number that lets the lower house override vetoes from the opposition-controlled upper house. More importantly for Takaichi’s agenda, it opens the door to constitutional amendments.
Japan’s pacifist constitution has been the LDP’s white whale since day one. The party has wanted to revise it for seven decades, and now Takaichi has the parliamentary muscle to actually make it happen. She’s already said she’ll push for a referendum on the issue, which would be absolutely massive for a country that’s maintained its post-war identity around non-militarism.
The markets reacted immediately. Japan’s Nikkei hit record highs, bond yields climbed, and the Yen took a rollercoaster ride. Investors clearly think something significant is about to shift in Japanese politics and business policy.
What She’s Actually Planning To Do
Takaichi laid out an ambitious agenda that includes a “major shift in economic and fiscal policy” and strengthening security capabilities. She’s also hinted at revisiting Japan’s National Defense Strategy, which could mean rethinking the country’s famous three principles of not possessing, producing, or sharing nuclear weapons.
That’s where things get really interesting and potentially explosive. Japan maintaining those nuclear weapons policies has been a cornerstone of regional stability for decades. Any shift there would send shockwaves through Asia.
She’s also doubling down on the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” concept that her mentor Shinzo Abe championed and that the first Trump administration adopted. It’s basically a strategy for containing China without explicitly saying so, which is getting harder to maintain given Takaichi’s own comments about Taiwan.
The China Problem
Here’s where Takaichi’s big majority might actually box her into a corner. She’s created a diplomatic mess with Beijing by suggesting that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action. That’s the kind of statement that makes foreign policy experts reach for the antacids.
Trump is scheduled to visit China in April, and Takaichi wants to meet with him next month. The coordination there is going to be tricky, especially since Trump has made it clear he expects allies to carry more of the defense burden themselves. The good news for Takaichi? She actually has the domestic political capital to deliver on that, unlike previous prime ministers who could always blame opposition parties for blocking controversial measures.
As RAND Corporation’s Jeffrey Hornung pointed out, she can’t use the excuse of parliamentary opposition anymore. She has the numbers. That means whatever happens next, whether it’s constitutional revision, nuclear policy changes, or confrontation with China, it’s on her.
The real question isn’t whether Takaichi can push through her agenda. It’s whether Japan is ready for the kind of country she wants to build, and whether the region can handle a more assertive, possibly nuclear-armed Japan with a leader who has a 71-year record-breaking mandate and no excuses left to hide behind.
