How Takaichi’s Landslide Win Rattles Beijing on 3 Fronts
Expect big changes in Japan under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Japanese Prime Minister and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Sanae Takaichi (C), standing next to LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (L) and LDP Election Strategy Chief Keiji Furuya, places a red paper rose on the name of an elected candidate at the LDP headquarters during the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Feb. 8, 2026. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Japan’s House of Representatives snap election on Feb. 8 delivered a stunning victory for Sanae Takaichi. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) alone won 316 of 465 seats—a postwar first for a single party to hold a two-thirds majority. This marks a turning point for Takaichi’s career and Japanese politics.
Wang He
Author
Wang He has master’s degrees in law and history, and has studied the international communist movement. He was a university lecturer and an executive of a large private firm in China. Wang now lives in North America and has published commentaries on China’s current affairs and politics since 2017.
