February 18, 2026 at 3:24 PM
How Takaichi’s supermajority in Japan rewrites the strategic map of Southeast Asia
A unified force in Japan’s House of Representatives opens the door for widespread military reform under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, writes analyst Ronny Sasmita.
Japan’s latest general election has delivered a political shockwave. Early tallies flashing across screens in Tokyo showed a historic outcome: the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, secured 316 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives. Together with coalition partners, Takaichi now commands a two-thirds supermajority, an unprecedented mandate and the most decisive victory in the LDP’s seven-decade history.
Effectively, it marks the end of Japan’s long era of political caution. This landslide was driven by a potent mix of public yearning for strong leadership and a highly effective digital campaign. Takaichi, widely seen as the most faithful ideological heir to the late Shinzo Abe, successfully tapped into nationalist sentiment among younger voters through her “Japan First” narrative.