Japan’s Historic LDP Landslide to Steel Tokyo Against Chinese Infiltration: Analysts

The decisive victory paves the way for a more assertive approach to China’s gray-zone tactics near Japanese waters, one expert says.

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's prime minister and president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), puts pins marking the names of candidates who won lower house elections at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 8, 2026. Keisuke Hosojima/Kyodo News via AP

Japan’s decisive election result empowers the government to adopt a tougher stance against Beijing’s assertiveness while pursuing an anti-espionage law to combat its infiltration, experts say.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the nation’s first female leader, led her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to a landslide victory on Feb. 8, securing 316 of the 465 seats in the lower house.