Japan’s Takaichi won the election, but at what cost to the LDP?

The ruling party’s embrace of a ‘single patriarchal value system’ could paradoxically weaken its long-term dominance, analysts say

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to the media at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Published: 5:38pm, 9 Feb 2026Updated: 7:55pm, 9 Feb 2026

Japan’s ruling coalition secured a commanding victory in Sunday’s general election, but analysts warn that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s embrace of a hardline conservative agenda could narrow her party’s support base and ultimately weaken its dominance over time.

The Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition captured 352 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, according to national public broadcaster NHK: well above the two-thirds supermajority required to override upper house vetoes.

Takaichi campaigned on an unapologetically nationalist and socially conservative platform, appealing to voters unsettled by economic headwinds and rising regional tensions.

While her message resonated nationally, political scientist Masato Kamikubo of Ritsumeikan University cautioned that the prime minister’s approach could sacrifice the policy diversity that had long underpinned the LDP’s stability.

By fully embracing conservative policies, the LDP risks losing the long-term support of more diverse segments of society

Masato Kamikubo, political scientist

“By fully embracing conservative policies, the LDP risks losing the long-term support of more diverse segments of society,” Kamikubo said, citing the party’s opposition to issues such as same-sex marriage and separate surnames for married couples.

Japan’s Takaichi won the election, but at what cost to the LDP?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The ruling party’s embrace of a ‘single patriarchal value system’ could paradoxically weaken its long-term dominance, analysts say

The ruling party’s embrace of a ‘single patriarchal value system’ could paradoxically weaken its long-term dominance, analysts say