According to early polls the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has secured a majority in the House of Representatives. The LDP’s leader, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is expected to hold every seat in the lower house, according to the public‑broadcasting organisation NHK, a finding that is echoed by the Kyodo news agency. The results are based on exit‑polls taken at the polling stations, but it is still unclear whether the party’s share, combined with that of its coalition partner the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), will be sufficient to reach a two‑thirds majority.
Last year’s 2024 election saw the existing LDP‑Komeito coalition lose its outright majority in the House of Representatives. Following a defeat in the upper house as well, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stepped down in September 2025. Takaichi, who has become Japan’s first female prime minister, inherited a coalition that historically had struggled to maintain a dominant position. Her approval ratings, however, are noticeably higher than those of her predecessor, and she hoped that the early snap elections would yield a decisive majority in parliament.
