Japan’s ruling camp wins two-thirds majority in lower house

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan’s ruling camp won a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives after Sunday’s election, early returns and projections showed, in a landslide victory that will give Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a major boost in pushing ahead with her conservative policy agenda.

Controlling at least 310 seats in the 465-member lower house allows the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party to clear a key hurdle for amending the Constitution and enact bills rejected by the House of Councillors where the coalition remains in a minority.

The projected sharp gain in seats, from a combined 232 before the election, was apparently made possible by Takaichi’s personal popularity, clearing the way for her to stay on as premier after taking office last October.

Amid prolonged inflation and a growingly severe international environment, Takaichi has promised to pursue a “responsible yet aggressive” fiscal policy and boost the nation’s defense capabilities.

The main opposition party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, formed in January by uniting lower house members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Komeito party, is set to lose a significant number of seats, according to early returns and projections.

Following media reports of the LDP’s victory, Takaichi hinted at no major change to the lineup of the Cabinet, launched less than four months ago, during a TV program.

But she said she hopes that the JIP, which decided not to take ministerial posts when forming the coalition in apparent reflection of a cautious stance toward the LDP, will fulfill “its responsibility together in the Cabinet.”

It remains unclear, however, whether the JIP, known as Nippon Ishin, can retain its preelection strength of 34 seats in the lower house.

“It was an election in which we felt pressure from the LDP,” JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura told a press conference in his party’s home prefecture of Osaka in western Japan, adding that it had tried to convince voters that it had an important role to play in the coalition in the campaign.

Takaichi expressed her hope that “concrete plans” to amend the supreme law will be debated at parliament.

The Sanseito party, a populist group known for its “Japanese First” slogan, is expected to make big strides, while Team Mirai, which advocates adoption of digital technologies to enhance political participation, is set to secure its first seat in the chamber, according to the polls.

Takaichi, who has maintained high popularity since becoming Japan’s first female prime minister, had pledged to “immediately resign” as Japan’s leader if the coalition failed to secure a majority in the powerful lower chamber.

Nearly 1,300 candidates vied for the 465 seats, with 289 elected from single-seat constituencies and 176 through proportional representation, where seats are allocated for parties based on votes received in 11 regional blocks across Japan.

Early voting received a boost as a record 27.02 million people cast their ballots in the days prior to Sunday, up around 6 million from the previous election in 2024.

Voter turnout stood at 56.22 percent, likely up around 2 percent points from the previous race, according to an estimate by Kyodo News as of 11 p.m.

Japan held a general election in February for the first time in 36 years, a move by Takaichi that has drawn criticism because heavy snowfall in many parts of the country made campaigning difficult. Tokyo and its nearby areas also had snow on Sunday.

As ordinary households have been struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, major political parties have pledged to reduce tax burdens on the campaign trail.

Under Takaichi, a security hawk, the ruling parties also sought support for their aim to beef up the country’s defenses in the face of an increasingly severe security environment.

For the Centrist Reform Alliance, which had 167 seats before the lower house race, the election was the first opportunity to gauge public acceptance of the once-unlikely partnership of its two founding parties, the CDPJ and Komeito, and rebut criticism that they merged for electoral purposes.

Komeito, backed by Japan’s largest lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, had been an ally of the LDP for 26 years and a key source of campaign support for their coalition before they split in October.

The previous election in October 2024 proved a watershed moment as the LDP, under Takaichi’s predecessor, lost majority control of the chamber with its then coalition partner, the Komeito party.

Takaichi’s decision to call a snap election has been criticized for prioritizing political considerations, as it is certain to delay parliamentary enactment of the initial budget for fiscal 2026, which was originally expected by the end of March, ahead of the April start of the fiscal year.

She justified her decision by arguing she had yet to receive public backing for “major policy shifts” planned under her premiership, such as her fiscal stance, and the new ruling coalition formed in October.

Almost all ruling and opposition parties have pushed to suspend or abolish the consumption tax on food products in an effort to counter prolonged inflation.

Takaichi said on the TV program that her government will speed up discussions on the plan for a two-year suspension of the 8 percent consumption tax on food, one of her party’s campaign pledges.

(By Keita Nakamura)