Millions of Japanese voters are casting ballots today in a snap general election called by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Polls predict her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) coalition with the Japan Innovation Party will secure over 300 of the 465 Lower House seats, overturning last year’s losses of parliamentary control.
Months after lawmakers elected her, Takaichi sought direct public support amid economic woes. Her tax cuts and subsidies appeal to voters, but critics warn they threaten Japan’s fragile economy and heavy debt.
Early voting hit 4.6 million last week, down 2.5 per cent from 2024 due to snow in northern and western areas.
Takaichi’s charisma fuels the momentum. A fan of Margaret Thatcher, she pursues an “Iron Lady” image with strong defence and nationalist views like her late mentor Shinzo Abe. Despite conservative stances on family, she leads among 18- to 30-year-olds, with approval above 70 per cent since October.
Her 2.6 million X followers watched her campaign video exceed 100 million views in days. “Sanakatsu” fever sells out her black leather bag and pink pen.
“The fact that the prime minister is now a woman, someone with a different background from what people are accustomed to, creates a feeling that something is shifting,” Tokyo University’s Yuiko Fujita said in Nikkei Asia.
Doubts remain. Sophia University’s Koichi Nakano told the BBC, “This is not a presidential election but a parliamentary election, in which the LDP’s candidates are mostly men tainted by past scandals.” A 2023 fundraising scandal forced four ministers to resign.
Opposition has unified, with ex-ally Komeito joining the Constitutional Democratic Party. Masahiko Takeda of the Australian National University said the policies “fail to address the underlying problems of weak productivity and stagnant real wages.”
Nakano added Takaichi dug herself into “a deep hole in foreign and security policy by antagonising China” over Taiwan remarks, souring ties with Tokyo’s top trade partner.
She counters by courting U.S. President Donald Trump, who endorsed her Friday.