Voters in Japan are casting their ballots in a parliamentary election expected to deliver a resounding victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s conservative coalition.
The snap vote on Sunday comes as Takaichi seeks a new mandate to push through an ambitious agenda, including increased defence spending and tougher immigration measures.
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The coalition of Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, could win more than 300 of the 465 seats in the lower house of parliament, according to multiple opinion polls.
The figure would mark a substantial gain from the 233 it is defending.
The opposition, despite the formation of a new centrist alliance and a rising far-right, is seen as too splintered to be a real challenger.
Takaichi, 64, is Japan’s first female prime minister and took office in October after being selected as the LDP’s leader. The ultraconservative politician has pledged to “work, work, work” and her style – seen as both playful and tough – has resonated with younger voters.
She has said she will step down if the LDP fails to win a majority.
The cost of living has taken centre stage in Takaichi’s campaign. The issue is voters’ main concern, with prices rising while real wage growth lags behind inflation, leaving households worse off.
Japan also faces longstanding problems with sluggish economic growth. The economy expanded just 1.1 percent last year and is on track to grow by only 0.7 percent in 2026, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Takaichi has promised to suspend the 8 percent sales tax on food for two years to help households cope with rising prices.
The pledge follows the approval last year of Japan’s largest stimulus package since the COVID-19 pandemic, a 21.3 trillion yen ($136bn) injection into the economy heavily focused on cost-of-living relief measures, including energy bill subsidies, cash handouts and food vouchers.
Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defence policies by December to bolster Japan’s offensive military capabilities, lifting a ban on weapons exports and moving further away from the country’s post-war pacifist principles.
Takaichi has generated a social media-led wave, mostly among younger voters, with a phenomenon dubbed “sanakatsu” for products she uses, such as her handbag and the pink pen she writes with in parliament.
In a recent opinion poll, respondents under 30 favoured her by more than 90 percent. This young cohort, however, is less likely to vote than the older generations that have long been the bedrock of LDP support.
Al Jazeera’s Patrick Fok, reporting from Tokyo, said Takaichi is hoping to capitalise on her “tremendous popularity” and secure a landslide victory for her coalition.
“That result – if indeed that’s how it turns out – will mark a remarkable turnaround really for the LDP. Months ago, it was a party in disarray. It had lost its parliamentary majority and was embroiled in a slush fund scandal. So, this turnaround has very much been engineered by Takaichi and what some describe as an almost cult-like popularity,” Fok said.
Sunday’s vote comes amid record snowfall in parts of the country. With up to 70cm (27.5 inches) of snow forecast in northern and eastern regions, some voters will have to battle blizzards to cast their ballots.
The vote is only the third post-war election held in February, with polls typically called during milder months.
Fok said the heavy snowfall could affect voter turnout, but “there’s no suggestion that’s going to impact the outcome of the election”.
“A lot of people feel that the opposition parties are not offering anything substantially different. And perhaps they feel that Takaichi’s economic agenda will boost the country in the long term. She has a growth oriented strategy. She wants to develop sectors like AI, and semi conductors, and accelerate defence spending. Voters are perhaps betting on that unlocking the keys to stagnant wage growth in this country, and in turn counter rising inflation that they are experiencing here,” he added.
Voters on Sunday will select lawmakers in 289 single-seat constituencies, with the remainder decided by proportional representation votes for parties. Polls close at 8pm local time (11:00 GMT), when broadcasters are expected to issue projections based on exit polls.