Japan’s conservative LDP party, led by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, obtained a historic landslide electoral victory on Sunday, securing a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of the Parliament.
LDP saw its best electoral performance in the party’s entire history by claiming 316 seats out of the parliament’s 465 — up from the 198 it had before the election, granting the ruling conservatives a two-thirds supermajority mandate that allows it to pass bills rejected by the upper house among propose constitutional amendments, among several other prerogatives.
The landslide victory marks the first time a single party in Japan has a higher proportion of representatives in the Lower House than any other party in the country’s post-war era. The BBC noted that LDP saw its best electoral performance since 1986, when it won 304 seats.
An infographic titled “Japan’s first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi” created in Ankara, Turkiye on February 9, 2026. (Photo by Elif Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Takaichi, a highly-popular Prime Minister who took office on October 2025, dissolved the lower house of the parliament on mid-January, prompting Sunday’s snap election.
President Donald Trump gave his full endorsement to Takaichi hours before the election through a Truth Social post.
“Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing and, therefore, as President of the United States of America, it is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing. SHE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN DOWN!” President Trump’s message read in part.
Takaichi thanked Trump for his endorsement in a Sunday social media post written in both English and Japanese.
“I am sincerely grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his warm words. I look forward to visiting the White House this spring and to continuing our work together to further strengthen the Japan–U.S. Alliance,” Takaichi wrote.
“Our Alliance and friendship with the United States of America are built on deep trust and close, strong cooperation. The potential of our Alliance is LIMITLESS. Let us work together to ensure that our Alliance continues to bring peace and prosperity to our two nations—and beyond,” she continued.
Speaking to Japanese broadcaster NHK, Takaichi explained that she does not plan to make changes to her current cabinet composition, noting that it has only been over three months since it was launched and it is producing results for her country.
“Most parties are in favor of reducing the consumption tax, such as reducing the tax on food items to zero, or to 5 percent, or reducing the tax on all items to 5 percent. The LDP has also campaigned for a consumption tax cut,” she said. “I strongly want to call for the establishment of a supra-party forum to speed up discussion on this, as it is a big issue.”+
NHK reports that the Nikkei 225 stock index experienced a 5.6 surge on Monday morning, topping the 57,000 mark and setting a new all-time intraday high.
Takaichi is scheduled to visit the United States and meet with President Trump on March 19.
Last week, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sato Kei detailed that the Japanese government is preparing for Takaichi’s visit to be “meaningful” and to reaffirm “unwavering Japan-U.S. unity with Trump.”
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