Japan: PM Takaichi's LDP secures landslide win in general polls with two-thirds

Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party LDP won a twothirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sundays general election handing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a decisive mandate to advance her conservative policy agenda Kyodo News reportedCrossing the twothirds threshold of 310 seats in the 465member lower house allows the LDP to pursue constitutional revision and pass legislation even if it is rejected by the upper House of Councillors where the ruling coalition remains in a minority The LDP is the first party in postwar Japan to achieve such a margin according to Kyodo NewsThe landslide result marks a sharp increase from the partys preelection strength of 198 seats and was widely attributed to Takaichis personal popularity The LDP and its coalition partner the Japan Innovation Party JIP will together command a dominant presence in the chamber reinforcing Takaichis position after she took office in OctoberWe bear an extremely heavy responsibility to focus on steadily delivering on the campaign pledges we have made Takaichi said during a television program after the victory was reported Kyodo News said She also signalled she would largely maintain the current Cabinet lineup which has enjoyed relatively strong public approval since its launch less than four months agoThe election delivered a major setback to the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance whose seats were halved from 167 before the vote Its coleaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito hinted at possible resignations following the defeat Kyodo News reportedAmid prolonged inflation and a deteriorating international security environment Takaichi has pledged to pursue what she calls a responsible yet aggressive fiscal policy while strengthening Japans defence capabilities She also urged the JIP known as Nippon Ishin to share responsibility within the coalition even as the party opted not to take Cabinet posts The JIP added one seat to reach 35 though it struggled to match its senior partners momentumIt was an election in which we felt pressure from the LDP JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura told a news conference in Osaka according to Kyodo News Among smaller parties the populist Sanseito campaigning on a Japanese First platform won 13 seats up from two while Team Mirai which promotes digital technology to boost political participation entered the lower house for the first time with nine seats Kyodo News saidNearly 1300 candidates contested the election with 289 seats decided in singlemember districts and 176 through proportional representation across 11 regional blocs Early voting surged to a record 2702 million ballots about six million more than in the 2024 electionVoter turnout was estimated at 5623 per cent up around two percentage points from the previous race according to Kyodos early figures Japan held a February general election for the first time in 36 years a decision by Takaichi that drew criticism as heavy snowfall in many areas hampered campaigning and votingWith households under pressure from rising living costs major parties campaigned on cutting tax burdens The ruling bloc also sought support for boosting defense spending amid a worsening security environment Takaichi said her government would accelerate discussions on a twoyear suspension of the 8 per cent consumption tax on food one of the LDPs key campaign pledges Kyodo News reportedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever