Japan just made history, and the snow couldn’t stop them. Voters braved rare mid-winter conditions to hand Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democrat Party a crushing victory in Sunday’s snap election. Exit polls suggest her coalition is on track to secure a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, which is frankly a stunning comeback for a party that lost its parliamentary majority just over a year ago.
Takaichi gambled hard with this election. She’d only been party leader for four months and had publicly pledged to resign if the LDP failed to secure a majority. That’s either incredibly confident or slightly reckless, depending on how you look at it. But the gamble paid off spectacularly, with her approval ratings hovering above 70% throughout her short tenure.
Her predecessors weren’t so lucky. The LDP had been drowning in corruption scandals and struggling with voter anger over rising costs. The party even lost its decades-old coalition with the Komeito party in 2024. Takaichi managed to turn that ship around by leaning into populist spending promises and nationalist rhetoric that seems to resonate with a broad swath of Japanese voters.
What’s Actually Driving This Victory
Let’s be honest about what’s happening here. Takaichi isn’t just another politician in a suit. She’s savvy with social media in a way that most politicians her age simply aren’t. Young voters are actually paying attention to her because she’s out there posting clips of her daily life, sharing behind-the-scenes political content, and yes, even videos of her playing drums with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung that went viral.
“I think this election is more important for the younger generation, people like us,” Daniel Hayama told reporters, adding that cold weather wasn’t going to stop young people from voting. That’s the kind of enthusiasm politicians dream about.
But scroll past the viral moments and you’ll find some genuinely concerning policy positions. Takaichi has pushed hard to toughen immigration rules, review foreign ownership of Japanese land, and crack down on tax and health insurance non-payments by foreign nationals. In a country where only 3% of the population are foreign nationals, critics argue she’s manufacturing division where it doesn’t really exist.
The relationship with China is another pressure point that deserves attention. Japan and China are massive trading partners, yet Takaichi suggested last November that Japan might intervene militarily if China invaded Taiwan. That’s not exactly the kind of statement that calms business leaders worried about economic stability in the region.
The Economic Reality Check
Here’s where things get tricky. Takaichi has promised more spending and tax cuts, which sounds great until you remember that Japan already has one of the highest government debt loads among developed nations. Critics, including plenty of business voices, are openly skeptical that her plans can actually revive Japan’s sluggish economy.
Voter Ritsuko Ninomiya captured the mood pretty well: “People want their lives to be better and more comfortable because we are so accustomed to not having inflation, so people are very worried. I think we need a long-term solution rather than short-term fixes.”
That’s the real question, isn’t it? Are these populist spending promises actual long-term solutions or just electoral sugar hits?
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already congratulated Takaichi, saying “when Japan is strong, the US is strong in Asia.” She’s cultivated a close relationship with Donald Trump, who unusually endorsed her publicly during the campaign. Both seem aligned on the idea that Japan should dramatically increase defense spending, which brings us to another voter concern.
“I am concerned with what President Trump is doing as well as the national defence issues. I am not sure where the money is coming from to cover that,” voter Yuko Sakai said. “So balancing budget spending between defence and people’s life is a major concern for me.”
What Comes Next
With a two-thirds majority, Takaichi is in a strong position to pursue her long-held goal of changing Japan’s pacifist constitution. That’s a massive shift for a country that has defined itself by its post-war commitment to peace. Whether voters actually want that constitutional change when push comes to shove is another matter entirely.
The opposition has actually unified more than before, with the LDP’s former coalition partner Komeito now joining forces with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. But unified opposition means little when you’re facing a two-thirds majority government.
What’s fascinating is how quickly the political landscape can shift. A year ago, the LDP looked vulnerable, bleeding support over scandals and struggling to connect with voters worried about rising costs. Today, Takaichi has delivered them a landslide that puts her firmly in control.
The real test isn’t winning elections though. It’s whether those viral drum videos and nationalist promises can translate into actual economic growth, better living standards, and a foreign policy that doesn’t alienate Japan’s biggest trading partner while keeping security hawks in Washington happy. That’s a much harder performance to pull off than any social media campaign, and Japanese voters will be watching closely to see if the enthusiasm translates into results that actually improve their daily lives.
