Japan's ultra-conservative prime minister set to win snap election landslide
The ultra conservative's coalition is expected to secure a decisive win, according to polls.
Japan's ultra conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to consolidate her party's rule in Sunday's snap election.
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While Ms Takaichi remains hugely popular, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan for most of the last seven decades, has been rocked by funding and religious scandals.
She called Sunday's snap elections only after three months in office, as she seeks to make progress on a right-wing agenda that highlights plans to boost Japan's economy and military capabilities as tensions grow with China.
Sanae Takaichi's coalition is expected to win between 302 and 366 out of 465 seats, NHK's exit poll shows.
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Ms Takaichi also wants to strengthen ties with her US ally amid pressures from President Donald Trump, who has suggested Japan should spend more on defence.
In an unusual move, Mr Trump publicly endorsed Ms Takaichi, writing on his social media network Truth Social on Thursday: "Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing
"It is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing."
The latest surveys indicate a landslide win in the lower house for the LDP, with Ms Takaichi’s coalition with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) projected to take up to 300 of the 465 seats in the country's more powerful chamber of parliament.
If the LDP fails to win a majority, "I will step down," she said.
A big win by Ms Takaichi's coalition could mean a significant shift to the right in Japan's security, immigration and other policies, with its right-wing partner JIP's leader Hirofumi Yoshimura saying his party will serve as an "accelerator".
Ms Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defence policies by December to bolster Japan's offensive military capabilities, lifting a ban on weapons exports, and moving further away from the country's post-war pacifist principles.
She has also been pushing for tougher policies on foreigners, anti-espionage and other measures that resonate with a far-right audience but ones that experts say could undermine civil rights.