Japan’s ruling party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is set to seal a decisive win in Sunday’s snap election, exit polls suggest.
The country’s first female prime minister is seeking a clear public mandate just four months after becoming Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) leader.
Her predicted success is in marked contrast to her two predecessors, under whom the party lost its parliamentary majority because of corruption scandals and rising costs.
An LDP-led coalition has governed Japan for much of its post-war history due to the lack of a strong opposition.
Some called the snap election a big gamble after the LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament, and its decades-old coalition with the Komeito party had collapsed.
But Takaichi’s personal popularity appears to have helped the party, with approval ratings for her government mostly hovering above 70%.
The LDP is projected to win 274 of 465 seats in the House of Representatives, according to a poll by broadcaster NHK.
The party has formed a coalition with the right-wing populist Japan Innovation Party.
People across Japan braved snow to vote in the country’s first mid-winter poll in 36 years.
Japan’s transport ministry said 37 train lines and 58 ferry routes were closed and 54 flights cancelled as of Sunday morning. There was rare snowfall in Tokyo as people headed out to vote.
“People want their lives to be better and more comfortable because we are so accustomed to not having inflation [costs rising]… so people are very worried. I think we need a long-term solution rather than short-term fixes,” Ritsuko Ninomiya, a voter in Tokyo told the BBC.
Takaichi’s enthusiasm, populist spending promises and nationalist rhetoric appear to have energised voters.
“I think this election is more important for the younger generation, people like us,” Daniel Hayama said, adding that the cold weather was not a hurdle for young people who want to vote.
Takaichi and the LDP faced a more unified opposition than before. LDP’s former coalition partner Komeito has joined forces with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to form the largest opposition bloc in the lower house.
Critics, including businesses, are sceptical that her pledge to spend more and cut taxes can revive the sluggish Japanese economy. The country’s government debt is already one of the highest among developed nations.
Relations with China – Japan’s largest trading partner – have been strained as well, after Takaichi suggested last November that Japan could intervene militarily if China invaded Taiwan.
Takaichi has courted Donald Trump, who has publicly endorsed her – an unusual move by a US president – and they both seem to agree that Japan should spend more on defence. That relationship too was on voters’ minds as they headed to the polls on Sunday.
“I am concerned with what President Trump is doing as well as the national defence issues. I am not sure where the money is coming from to cover that. So balancing budget spending between defence and people’s life is a major concern for me,” Yuko Sakai says.
By BBC News
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