Japan's ultra conservative prime minister set to seize more power, exit poll shows

Japan's ultra conservative prime minister is set to seize more power after an exit poll had her securing a big majority in the country's lower house.

Sanae Takaichi's coalition is expected to win between 302 and 366 of the 465 seats in the chamber, national broadcaster NHK has predicted.

That is well above the 233 needed for a majority.

It comes after Ms Takaichi, 64, called a rare winter snap election, seeking to capitalise on her own high approval ratings.

Betting on herself, she pledged to secure a majority or step down.

A former heavy metal drummer, she says immigration and tourism has led to "foreigner fatigue" in Japan, and her nationalist rhetoric has stoked tensions with China.

She's also anti-gay marriage and a vocal defender of traditional gender roles, and sees late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher as a role model.

Furthermore, her government plans to step away from Japan's post-war pacifist principles, bolstering the military and lifting a ban on weapons exports.

Ms Takaichi became the nation's first female prime minister in October, pledging to "work, work, work" and nurturing an upbeat image.

She's won support among younger voters and her personal style has been praised by fans, with admirers now facing a nine-month wait to purchase her signature Hamano black bag.

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She became prime minister after taking charge of the struggling Liberal Democratic Party, whose fortunes she is credited with transforming.

The party had grown accustomed to power, having governed almost continuously since its foundation in 1955, except for two brief windows - from 1993 to 1996, and from 2009 to 2012.

But it suffered setbacks in recent years, enduring its one of its worst electoral performances ever in 2024 amid a backdrop of a financial scandal and economic stagnation, and losing its majority in the lower house.

The lower house, or House of Representatives, is the stronger of the two chambers that comprise the National Diet - the Japanese equivalent of parliament.

A stronger hand there will empower Ms Takaichi to make progress on her right-wing agenda, including passing a record-setting 122.3 trillion yen (£565 billion) budget.

(c) Sky News 2026: Japan's ultra conservative prime minister set to seize more power, exit poll shows