LDP supermajority strengthens mandate for reforms and economic push
February 18, 2026: Sanae Takaichi was formally reappointed as Japan’s Prime Minister by the country’s Parliament, days after her decisive election victory secured sweeping control of the lower house for the Liberal Democratic Party. With a two-thirds majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives, Takaichi begins her second term with significant legislative leverage, enabling her party to dominate committees and override upper house objections. All members of her previous Cabinet are expected to retain their posts, signalling policy continuity.
Buoyed by the supermajority, Takaichi has pledged to expand Japan’s military capabilities, boost arms exports, tighten immigration policies and reinforce conservative social measures, including maintaining male-only imperial succession. While she has long advocated revising Japan’s postwar pacifist Constitution, immediate priorities are likely to focus on domestic concerns such as rising prices, stagnant wages and demographic decline. Her government is expected to push through a delayed budget bill, including a proposed two-year sales tax cut on food items to ease household burdens.
On the diplomatic front, Takaichi is preparing for a summit with Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit Beijing in April and had publicly endorsed her ahead of Japan’s election. The United States recently announced that Japan would fund initial projects under a $550 billion investment package, beginning with a $36 billion tranche. Planned ventures include a natural gas plant in Ohio, a crude oil export facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast and a synthetic diamond manufacturing site, underscoring deepening economic ties between the two nations.