Tokyo
—
Holding a snap election was a risky gamble. Her career was at stake. But now, Japan’s Sanae Takaichi enjoys the benefit of Japan’s strongest government majority since World War II.
Here’s how this unapologetic conservative, who President Trump lavishes praise on, did it.
Her popularity has soared in the four months since she took over, energizing normally disengaged young voters and giving a new face to the country’s political landscape, which for decades has been dominated by older men.
This mass appeal led to a landslide victory on Sunday, giving Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party a historic two-thirds supermajority in the House of Representatives. This was the first time since World War II that a single party had a majority.
This is a long-awaited victory for the Liberal Democratic Party, which has worked hard to restore its public image. The Liberal Democratic Party has historically been dominant in Japan, but in recent years it has been weighed down by electoral defeats, stubborn inflation and political scandals. Longtime supporters deemed the Liberal Democratic Party too old-fashioned and centrist and flocked to new right-wing parties instead.
Takaichi was seen as a potential answer to this problem, but conservatism looks a little different in Japan and the United States.
Socially, Takaichi opposes same-sex marriage, supports patriotic education, and supports maintaining Japan’s single-surname system, which makes it difficult for women to keep their maiden names.
She advocates amending Japan’s pacifist constitution to include a war renunciation clause. On Monday, she said she would “persevere” to amend the constitution, but did not say which parts she wanted to change. It’s still a steep uphill climb. She needs a two-thirds majority in the Senate to pass a referendum on the issue.
Takaichi is an economic proponent of big government and just passed a record spending budget. Although she is a prominent member of the ultranationalist lobby, she is not an anti-globalist. She recently reaffirmed ties with the United States, Britain, Italy and South Korea, despite decades of tensions rooted in Japan’s brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula.
She’s also an unconventional candidate in a country whose political climate is usually staid and formal. She rides motorcycles, plays drums, and enjoys heavy metal, but unlike many of her male peers, she doesn’t come from a political dynasty. Her father worked for a car company and her mother was a police officer.
Her landslide victory reflects the people’s desire to reform the Liberal Democratic Party and shift politics nationwide to the right. However, it is also a testament to Takaichi’s star power. That has boosted public enthusiasm, especially among Japan’s young people, to levels not seen in years.
Widespread excitement, dubbed “Sanamania” by some media outlets, was evident in the run-up to Sunday’s vote. Thousands of fans braved the cold to catch a glimpse of Takaichi at an election rally in Tokyo last week.
Much of this success is thanks to a smart social media strategy in which she delivered concise, slogan-worthy lines and shared videos of meetings with world leaders like South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, where she performed alongside K-pop hits.
Even the smallest details of her daily life are closely tracked and emulated, from the bag she carries to the pen she uses. In her hometown of Nara, souvenir shops sell towels, keychains, stationery with her slogan, and even cookies with her portrait next to that of her political idol, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Ahead of the vote, two 20-year-old students expressed their admiration for Takaichi last week. She calls Takaichi “Sana-chan,” an affectionate suffix usually reserved for close friends.
She has also won the support of US President Donald Trump, who endorsed her before the election and invited her to the White House even before the results were in.
But her victory is likely to further upset China, Japan’s neighbor and biggest trading partner. Relations have soured in recent months over comments made by Gaoichi about Taiwan, an island of democratic autonomy claimed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Takaichi broke with Japan’s long tradition of ambiguity toward Taiwan in November when he told Congress that a Chinese attack on Taiwan, which is located just 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Japanese territory, could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
China retaliated by canceling flights, restricting imports of Japanese seafood, and increasing military patrols. On Monday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued another stern warning, saying Japan’s election results reflected “deep-seated structural problems.”
“If Japan’s far-right forces misjudge the situation and act recklessly, it is inevitable that they will face opposition from the Japanese people and a firm opposition from the international community,” the spokesperson said, calling on Japan to “retract Mr. Takaichi’s erroneous statements.”
In addition to the deteriorating relationship with China, Mr. Takaichi has many other issues to address, including Japan’s rapid aging, rising living costs, and a weak yen.
His policy direction remains unclear for now, with one expert telling CNN last week that the impact of his comments “has not yet been fully felt.”
But Sunday’s remarkable result means the Liberal Democratic Party now has enough seats to override the vote in the Senate, propose constitutional amendments and chair all committees in the House of Commons with its coalition partners.
This will give Takaichi a clear path to accomplishing his goals over the next few years, until the next election in 2027.
