Japanese PM's ruling party secures two-thirds supermajority in lower house

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party won 316 of 465 lower-house seats and, with 36 seats for its new ally the Japan Innovation Party, the governing coalition holds 352 seats; NHK cited preliminary vote counts.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party won a decisive victory in the lower-house election, securing a two-thirds supermajority in preliminary results cited by NHK. The party and its new ally, the Japan Innovation Party, together hold a large governing majority. Takaichi called the early vote three months into her tenure and took office as Japan's first female leader in October. The result has drawn attention because it would allow the government to press forward on its stated policy priorities. Key facts: - The LDP won 316 seats in the 465-member lower house, according to NHK vote counts. - With 36 seats for the Japan Innovation Party, the ruling coalition totals 352 seats. - The LDP's 316-seat total is reported as a record since the party's 1955 founding, surpassing the previous high of 300 seats in 1986. - The opposition was described as fragmented; a new centrist alliance is projected to fall to about half of its combined pre-election share of 167 seats. - The lower house is scheduled to reconvene in mid-February; the first major task will be work on a delayed budget bill. Summary: The reported outcome gives Takaichi's coalition a substantial parliamentary majority that would enable the government to advance its stated plans on economic and security matters. The immediate parliamentary focus is a budget bill when the lower house reconvenes in mid-February, and Takaichi has also said she aims to revise security and defence policy by December; details on funding and legislative negotiations remain undetermined at this time.