Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s Parliament to elect prime minister next week, with Takaichi poised to win

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to launch her second Cabinet after the vote.

Japan’s main opposition begins two-horse leadership race after election defeat

Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Tetsuo Saito (right) and Yoshihiko Noda speak to the media at a ballot counting center in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb 8, 2026.

Popularity of Japan anime characters in China unaffected by strained ties

Chinese fans of Japanese-originated anime say their devotion is “a source of spiritual fulfilment”.

News analysis

Taiwan’s security blanket may become warmer after Takaichi’s big win in snap polls

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house on Feb 8.

Japanese businesses in China worried over negative impact from diplomatic row

A woman walks past a Japanese restaurant in Beijing.

Japan election results confirm super-majority of 315 seats for Takaichi’s party

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide win in the election gives her the option of embarking on the task of trying to change the constitution.

Japan election results in smallest main opposition party in post-war era

Japan's main opposition party Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Tetsuo Saito (right) and Yoshihiko Noda at a press conference on Feb 8.

News analysis

China-Japan ties set to remain strained after Takaichi’s landslide election win

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), poses for a photograph ahead of a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. Takaichi’s ruling coalition secured an overwhelming majority in Sunday’s lower-house vote, giving her a clear mandate to pursue fiscal expansionary policies that have already driven Japanese stocks to all-time highs. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

Takaichi won’t have a free hand even with her huge mandate

It's coming up roses for Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as her Liberal Democratic Party won a historic mandate in the Feb 8 polls.

China vows ‘resolute response’ to any reckless acts after Japan election

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), arrives at the Prime Minister's office after her party's historic election win in Sunday's poll in Tokyo, Japan, February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.