Japan’s Parliament formally confirmed Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on Wednesday, ten days after her victory in the national elections. 

Lower House of the Diet, the more powerful chamber in Japan’s legislative system, endorsed her leadership with a two-thirds majority.

Takaichi secured 354 of 464 votes cast in the Lower House, far ahead of Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki, who received 50 votes. Under Japan’s parliamentary framework, the Lower House prevails over the Upper House in selecting the head of government.

The leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) called early elections in early February and achieved a supermajority unprecedented for a single party in postwar Japan. 

LDP, together with its coalition partner Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), now controls 352 of the 465 Lower House seats. 

Following the parliamentary vote, the new cabinet is expected to take office in an official ceremony. The prime minister stated that she intends to maintain the core direction of her administration and does not plan major structural changes to the cabinet.

During the elections, the prime minister emphasized fiscal expansion to address inflation, which has remained above 3 percent over the past year, and pledged to increase defense spending. 

The government now holds sufficient support in the Lower House to advance this legislative agenda.

Economic analysts believe

Financial markets have monitored developments closely, with movements in the bond market and fluctuations in the yen reflecting investor assessments of fiscal policy direction. 

Parliamentary confirmation provides the administration with legislative room to proceed, though Upper House dynamics may require negotiations on specific measures.

With the formal confirmation in the Diet, Japan enters a new political phase characterized by a strong Lower House majority and a legislative landscape that will demand coordination across both chambers.