Voting is underway in Japan on Sunday in a snap general election called by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with polls suggesting his coalition will win a landslide victory.
Takaichi called the election a few months after being elected prime minister.
Opinion polls show Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party alliance could win up to 300 of the 465 seats in the lower house, signaling a major turnaround for the LDP, which lost control of both houses of parliament last year.
Conservative leader Takaichi has won support from some voters with promises of tax cuts and subsidies, but critics say the measures, if implemented, could put a huge strain on Japan's slowing economy.
This time, the advance voting was lower than in previous elections. As of a week ago, about 4.6 million voters had cast their ballots in advance. This is 2.5 percent less than in the 2024 election. This is believed to be due to heavy snowfall in the north and west.
According to observers, Takaichi's personal popularity is believed to have helped the LDP strengthen its position in this election.
Takaichi, a fan of former British leader Margaret Thatcher, has long harbored aspirations to become Japan's "Iron Lady." She is also known as a close ally of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Takaichi shares Abe's views on many issues, including strong defense and nationalist policies.
Surveys show that Takaichi is particularly popular among young voters aged 18 to 30. Since taking office in October, his government's approval rating has often remained above 70 percent.
Takaichi has also built a strong presence on social media. He has 2.6 million followers on X. A campaign video created by the LDP featuring him has been viewed more than 100 million times in less than 10 days.
The snap election is a risky move for Takaichi, as his party faces a much more united opposition. Komeito, the LDP's longtime ally, has now joined forces with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to form the largest opposition coalition in the lower house.
Another major challenge facing the LDP is convincing voters that their spending-based policies will not exacerbate Japan's financial crisis.
Masahiko Takeda, a senior researcher on Asia at the Australian National University, wrote in a recent article that the government's policy package may provide some relief to households in the short term. But it will fail to address underlying problems such as weak productivity and stagnant real wages.
Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University, believes that by angering China, Takaichi has thrown his own foreign and security policy into a deep hole.
Late last year, Takaichi hinted that Japan would respond with its own defense forces if China attacked Taiwan. Takaichi's comments angered Beijing, sending relations between the historically tense countries to their lowest point in more than a decade.
Tokyo, meanwhile, is seeking to stabilize ties with its close ally Washington. Takaichi has sought to build closer ties with US President Donald Trump. On Friday, Trump endorsed Takaichi, a rare move by a US leader.
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