Sanae Takaichi: Japan's First Female Prime Minister Faces Election Gamble

Mon Feb 09 2026 00:57:31 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Japan heads to the polls again, will Sanae Takaichi's gamble for a parliamentary majority succeed? With high popularity ratings and a focus on traditional values, she aims to energize voters amidst rising economic tensions.

Japan is preparing for a snap election this Sunday, led by Sanae Takaichi, the country's first female prime minister. Betting on her popularity, she hopes to secure the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a clear mandate. While she enjoys approval ratings between 60-70%, her leadership faces challenges including economic issues and tensions with China. Takaichi's gamble echoes a past miscalculation by her predecessor, raising questions about the effectiveness and timing of a snap vote amidst economic strains.

Will Sunday's snap election gamble pay off for Japan's first female premier?

Japan heads to the polls again on Sunday for its second general election in as many years. The snap vote has caught the ruling party, the opposition and much of the electorate off guard.

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, is betting on her personal popularity, hoping to succeed where her party failed just last year: delivering a clear public mandate for the long-ruling but deeply unpopular Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

It is a political gamble - one her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, made, and lost badly. Voters will now decide whether it will pay off.

The difference this time is that her approval across most media polls has been much, much higher than her predecessors, says Rintaro Nishimura, an analyst and senior associate at The Asia Group's Japan Practice.

Time will tell if Takaichi's high approval ratings will translate into electoral success. Since taking office last October, her dynamic public profile has captured voter attention. Whether her risky move of calling a snap election while the economy faces pressures will bear fruit remains to be seen.