Sunday 08 / February / 2026
Tokyo: Japan's nationalist ruling party is set to regain a majority in lower house elections, media projections showed on Sunday in what would be a huge victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to have won between 274 and 328 seats in the 465-member lower house, up from its current 198, national broadcaster NHK reported, basing projections on exit polls.
Together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the LDP was projected to win between 302 and 366 seats, NHK said.
Takaichi dissolved parliament in January ahead of the snap elections, a gamble that she hoped would provide her and her struggling party with a stronger mandate.
While Takaichi is hugely popular, particularly with younger voters, her conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled the country for most of the past seven decades, has been hit by scandals and faced a new opposition alliance that has emerged as a potential challenger.
What do the projections mean?
The projections affirm what opinion polls foresaw ahead of Sunday's national elections, that the LDP would comfortably win the 233 seats required for a majority in the 465-member lower house of parliament.
One recent poll suggested the LDP was set for a landslide win in the lower house. The projections showed that a newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance and the far-right Sanseito party were unable to pose a serious threat.
Sunday night's projections showed the LDP and its coalition partner, the populist JIP, would most likely surpass the 310 seats needed for a two-thirds majority.
This would allow the coalition to override the upper chamber, which is controlled by the opposition.
That would be the strongest result for the LDP since Takaichi's mentor Shinzo Abe's victory in 2017. Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was assassinated in 2022.
Such a victory would mean a significant shift to the right in Japanese politics. The LDP, which has held a narrow majority since a poor showing in elections in 2024, has struggled to push through legislation.
Takaichi had said she would step down if the LDP failed to secure a majority.
Who is Sanae Takaichi?
Takaichi became Japan's first woman prime minister in October.
She has touted UK former-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — dubbed the "Iron Lady" — as an inspiration, and her pledge to "work, work, work, work and work" has resonated with voters.
An ultraconservative and China hawk, she wants to boost Japan's defense spending and capabilities amid growing tensions with Beijing and pressure from US President Donald Trump, with whom she enjoys good ties.
She has also been pressing for tougher immigration policies and to revitalize Japan's economy.
The election was held against the backdrop of record snowfall in many areas of the country in recent weeks, which could delay vote counting or hinder access to polling stations in some areas, even in Tokyo.
The snow has blocked roads and has been linked to dozens of deaths.
