Japanese Citizens Head to Polls Despite Snow in Snap Election
Takaichi announced the country’s first mid-winter poll in 36 years shortly after winning her party’s leadership last October. Some observers viewed the decision as risky, given that her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had lost its majority in both parliamentary chambers, and its longstanding coalition with the Komeito party had collapsed.
Historically, an LDP-led coalition has dominated Japan’s post-war governance due to the absence of a strong opposition. However, prior corruption scandals had weakened the party’s image before Takaichi assumed office. Her personal popularity has provided a boost, with government approval ratings reportedly hovering above 70%. Current polls suggest the LDP-led coalition with the Japanese Innovation Party could win up to 300 of the 465 lower house seats.
This marks a recovery for the party, which had seen its previous two leaders resign before completing their terms due to fundraising scandals, declining ratings, and election defeats.
Voters expressed concern about rising costs and the economy. As one Tokyo resident explained: "People want their lives to be better and more comfortable because we are so accustomed to not having inflation [costs rising]... so people are very worried. I think we need a long-term solution rather than short-term fixes."
Housing affordability remains a pressing issue for many families. "Housing is very expensive," said Rumi Hayama. "Our son is getting bigger and we need a bigger place but it is not affordable although we have decent jobs. Prices are getting higher and [it is] getting hard to live in Japan. It was not like this before."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
