Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has energized voters and strengthened the LDP ahead of a snap election, but her inexperience and ties to the Shinzo Abe faction pose risks for governance and public trust. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2026/02/06/takaichi-ldp-poised-for-big-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #cra #cdp #komeito #shinzoabe #shigeruishiba #upperhouse #lowerhouse #2026lowerhouseelection

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shied away from the topics of a proposed consumption tax cut and her alleged ties to the controversial religious group Unification Church. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/06/japan/politics/takaichi-silence-tax-church/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #ldp #taxes #consumptiontax #food

Rising food prices are a big issue for Prime Minister Sanae ahead of a national election on Feb. 8 that will make or break her government. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/06/economy/food-cost-rise-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #consumptiontax #food #2026lowerhouseelection #japaneseeconomy #inflation #economicindicators #sanaetakaichi

U.S. President Donald Trump has again broken with tradition, offering his “total endorsement” of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Sunday’s election and announcing the pair's planned meeting in Washington on March 19. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/06/japan/politics/trump-takaichi-endorsement/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #china #xijinping #us #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #ldp

The option being talked about — whispered, actually — is the nuclear option. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/05/japan/the-list-of-japanese-security-options/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #markcarney #us #indopacific #shigeruishiba #defense #nato #sdf #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #nuclearweapons

With the end of the last U.S.-Russian nuclear arms-control treaty, the world is entering a period of potentially unchecked nuclear weapon buildups. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/world/politics/new-start-expiration-arms-race-fears/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #russia #vladimirputin #donaldtrump #nuclearweapons #sanaetakaichi #ldp

TSMC will start making advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up plans to manufacture semiconductors in the country in a triumph for Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/05/companies/tsmc-plan-upgrade-chip-plant/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #tsmc #kumamoto #manufacturing #nvidia #apple #sanaetakaichi #ai #taiwan #tech

Despite little debate on the matter during campaigning, attention is being paid to the fact that parties in favor of constitutional changes may secure two-thirds of Lower House seats, making major revisions possible. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/japan/politics/constitutional-revisions-key-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sdf #constitution #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #dpp #cra #jcp #reiwashinsengumi #sanaetakaichi

Investors are positioning for a decisive election victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, betting that a strong mandate will allow her to consolidate power and push expansive fiscal policies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/05/markets/stock-bets-on-big-takaichi-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #stocks #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection

A video message from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, posted on YouTube by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has garnered over 100 million views — a rarity for a political video. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/japan/politics/takaichi-video-message/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #youtube #ldp #socialmedia

The new opposition centrist force that was supposed to upend Japan’s political calculus isn’t gaining any ground. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/how-unpredictable-is-the-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #jip #china #us #indopacific #eastasia #senkakus #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #diet

Three months into being Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi is connecting with younger voters in a way her predecessors never achieved. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/politics/sanae-takaichi-young-voters/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #ldp #socialmedia #2026lowerhouseelection

The Japanese parties that best navigate the shortened campaign period will cement their place in the new political landscape. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/cheat-sheet-for-japans-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #cra #jip #2026lowerhouseelection #sanseito #dpp #diet

Japan’s Feb. 8 snap election will test whether Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the LDP can rebuild a Lower House majority by reclaiming conservative and independent voters as it faces a fragmented opposition. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/japan/conservative-voters-returning-to-ldp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #cdpj #komeito #cra #jip #dpp #sanseito #sokagakkai #rengo #shinzoabe

Electoral candidates in a Hokkaido district are braving the cold to get their messages out before the Feb. 8 election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/politics/hokkaido-4-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #ldp #sanseito #cdp #komeito #hokkaido #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #nuclearenergy #energy #restarts

Japan’s Feb. 8 snap election is less about short-term politics than a pivotal choice among competing coalition paths that will determine whether the country can adapt its domestic politics to shifting voter behavior. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/japan/where-japan-goes-from-here/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #jip #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #china #unitedstates #indopacific #eastasia #senkakuislands #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection

At least 30 people have died and 324 injured due to heavy snowfall along the Sea of Japan coast over the past two weeks, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged people to stay alert and ensure their own safety. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/fatalities-heavy-snow/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #snow #aomori #niigata #akita #sanaetakaichi

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wasn’t specifically highlighting the benefits of a weak yen over the weekend. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/03/economy/japan-finance-minister-yen/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #yen #forex #satsukikatayama #sanaetakaichi #japaneseeconomy

Duty-free sales at Japan’s top department stores fell again in January, highlighting the prolonged pain for the country’s retail industry as tensions between Tokyo and Beijing show no sign of easing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/02/duty-free-sales-china-tensions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #tourism #dutyfree

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces a crucial markets test in the final run-up to a snap election this weekend where she is hoping a decisive victory will give her a mandate for expansionary fiscal policy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/02/takaichi-bond-investors-voters/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #sanaetakaichi #bonds #jgb