// Office of the Prime Minister of Japan
On Wednesday, the Japanese parliament unanimously re-elected Sanae Takahichi as Prime Minister, following a decisive victory for the ruling coalition in the snap elections. Before the special parliamentary session began, the cabinet resigned — a requirement dictated by the Japanese constitution. Takahichi is expected to present a new cabinet soon, in which many current ministers are likely to remain in their positions. This particularly applies to the ministers of defense, finance, and foreign affairs — Shinjiro Koizumi, Satsuki Katayama, and Toshimitsu Motegi, respectively.
In the snap elections held on February 8, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Takahichi, increased its representation in parliament from 198 to 316 seats, while its ally, the Innovation Party, raised its number of seats from 36 to 38. This marks the largest victory for the ruling forces in history. At the same time, the opposition alliance, consisting of the Komeito and Constitutional Democratic Party, lost seats, shrinking from 167 to 49.
Sanae Takahichi is known for her tough stances on security issues. She advocates for revising Article 9 of the 1947 Japanese Constitution, which enshrines the country's renunciation of militarism. After the elections, she expressed her intention to amend the constitution, although specific details have not yet been announced. Changing the constitution requires the support of two-thirds of the votes from members of both houses of parliament and a nationwide referendum. Japanese media emphasize that the country's fundamental constitution has not been changed since its adoption in 1947.
According to Associated Press, the key tasks of the new government are likely to include combating rising prices and stagnant wages, as well as passing a budget that was postponed due to the elections.
Previously, Takahichi's statements regarding Taiwan led to a deterioration in relations with China. In December, she announced that Japan would reach a defense spending level of 2% of GDP earlier than planned — by 2027. Later, the cabinet approved a defense budget with record expenditures of about $58 billion. As reported by AP, Tokyo is considering the development of nuclear submarines, and Takahichi intends to expand intelligence-sharing with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as strengthen efforts against espionage.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously expressed support for Takahichi before the elections, and she has advocated for tightening immigration controls on foreign nationals.
