Japan’s Ruling LDP Set To Win Big Lower House Majority, Takaichi To Remain PM

TOKYO, Feb 8 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is set to win a large majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s election, early returns and Kyodo News projections show, an outcome largely driven by her personal popularity that clears the way for her to remain in office.

The LDP, which has formed a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party, has secured at least 243 seats, well above the majority line of 233, in the 465-member lower house, up from 198 before the contest, Kyodo News Agency reported.

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 defence capabilities.

The ruling camp is projected to secure at least 261 seats in the powerful chamber, clearing the threshold for chairing all standing committees and outnumbering the opposition in those panels, thereby helping it to push through its legislative agenda.

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, 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 changes to the Cabinet lineup, launched less than four months ago, during a television programme.

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

It remains unclear, however, whether the JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin, can retain its pre-election 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 during the campaign that it had an important role to play in the coalition.

The focus is now on whether the LDP–JIP camp can win a two-thirds majority, or 310 seats, in the lower house, which would allow it to initiate a proposal to amend the Constitution, the LDP’s long-held goal, and put it to a national referendum.

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

The Sanseito party, a populist group known for its “Japanese First” slogan, is expected to make significant gains, while Team Mirai, which advocates the 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 last October, had pledged to “immediately resign” as Japan’s leader if the coalition failed to secure a majority in the powerful lower chamber.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO