Japanese voters head to election stations as polls suggest PM Takaichi’s coalition set to win

Japanese voters have headed to election stations to cast their ballots, choosing lawmakers for parliament as opinion polls suggest Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s Conservative coalition is set to win.

The snap elections on Sunday come as Sanae retains a strong position in the public eye, according to the latest opinion polls.

Takaichi, however, seeks a new mandate to push through an ambitious agenda, including increased military spending and tougher immigration laws.

Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, form a Conservative coalition that is expected to win more than 300 of the 465 parliamentary seats.

In November, in her first parliamentary address as prime minister, Takaichi said Japan could potentially take military action if China were to invade Taiwan. Her remark was seen as a dramatic shift from the country’s longstanding adherence to the One China policy.

Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister. She took office in October after being selected as the LDP’s leader. The 64-year-old ultra-Conservative politician has gained popularity among the country’s youth for her playful, fun style, accompanied by plenty of determination and tough talk.

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The motto of the former heavy metal drummer and motorbike rider, who giddily hops around the stage at rallies and gleefully sings to visiting foreign leaders, is “work, work, work.”

She has promised to suspend the 8 percent sales tax on food for two years to help households cope with the rising cost of living in Japan.

Takaichi and her party are opposed to foreigners’ huge presence in the country and have been pushing for tougher immigration measures, including stricter requirements for foreign property owners and a cap on foreign residents in Japan.

They aim to push the nation away from the post-war pacifist principles imposed on Tokyo after it surrendered at the end of World War II.

Takaichi warned her supporters that she would resign if her party fails to gain the majority of seats in parliament to push her ambitious agenda.

Political observers believe a landslide victory in the elections for Takaichi’s coalition could result in a major shift in Japan’s foreign policy.

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