Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in Japan’s February 8 snap election marks one of the most striking political comebacks in its recent history. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of 465 seats in Parliament’s lower house, delivering its strongest post-war performance. When Ms. Takaichi became Japan’s first woman Prime Minister in October 2025, the LDP, which has led Japan for all but four years since 1955, was reeling from back-to-back electoral setbacks and internal scandals. The party had just lost its majority in the House of Councillors, the upper house, raising doubts about its ability to govern. Her immediate challenge was to quickly reverse the LDP’s declining fortunes and secure a clear mandate for herself. A conservative nationalist closely aligned with the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she advanced a distinctly Trumpian agenda with Japanese characteristics. She pledged to crack down on immigration and stand up to China’s military and economic influence in the region. Her government proposed to make it tougher for foreigners to become citizens and also encourage prospective residents to learn Japanese. She withdrew an unpopular fuel tax and promised more tax cuts. Ms. Takaichi stated that Japan could militarily intervene in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, provoking Beijing to impose restrictions on Japanese seafood imports and limits on critical minerals exports to Japan.
While her victory as the first woman Prime Minister is historic, it is shaped by a paradox: the conservative ideology that defines her politics. She has made repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine. She opposes same-sex marriage, and many supporters have urged her to amend the Constitution to remove the pacifist clauses. Although Ms. Takaichi enjoys warm ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, she also faces pressure from Washington to move towards a more militarised security posture. But if Ms. Takaichi uses the huge mandate to remilitarise Japan and adopt a more muscular foreign policy, she risks placing herself on the wrong side of history. Post-war peace helped Japan rebuild an economy devastated by conflict and dramatically improve living standards. Rather than issuing provocative statements that risk imperilling Japan’s economic ties with its largest trading partner, she should return to the country’s long-standing position of studied ambiguity over Taiwan and prioritise regional stability. Her focus should be on revitalising the economy and addressing social challenges, including an ageing population, stagnant wages and persistent gender inequality. The supermajority that she now commands offers her an opportunity to move beyond rigid conservatism and pursue a more pragmatic and inclusive agenda rooted in pacifism.
Published – February 11, 2026 12:10 am IST
