Six Months of Takaichi Administration

Six months have passed since the Diet elected Sanae Takaichi for the prime minister on October 21st, 2025. Although she started her administration as minority government in both chambers, she gained a momentum after she achieved a sweeping victory in Lower House election in February 2026. However, Takaichi’s style of politics taking distance from her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leaves a concern that she can be facing difficulty once her popularity began to decline.

Takaichi won LDP presidential election raising conservative agenda for her administration. Immediately after her winning, LDP’s coalition partner Komeito left the coalition, protesting her right-wing stance in policies. The departure was partly caused by Takaichi’s indifference to the partnership, shown in her approach to Democratic Party for the People for forming a leading coalition before consulting with Komeito. Takaichi had no choice except having partnership with Japan Innovation Party, making her administration further conservative.

 

Having no majority in both Houses of the Diet, Takaichi had to struggle for passing a supplementary budget bill in the fall session. That difficulty made her decide a snap election in which the LDP had a major victory with wide support for first female prime minister of Japan. Although she still leads a minority government in the Upper House, Takaihchi administration seems to have achieved certain stability.

 

Affiliating with no faction in the LDP, Takaichi does not have a strong basis in the party. Nevertheless, she has not made intensive efforts to generate reliable relationship with the LDP. Takaichi prefers reading documents alone to meet someone over dining. It was an unusual event on April 10th for her to have a lunch meeting with LDP leaders, including Vice-president Taro Aso, Secretry General Shun-ichi Suzuki or Executive Acting Secretary General Koichi Hagiuda.

 

This style of politics does not enhance relationship between the executive branch and the legislative. Takaichi did not notice the LDP leaders her decision to dissolve the Lower House in January, which invited distrust on her management of politics. Despite delay of Diet discussion on FY2026 budget bill, which was caused by her decision for a snap election, Takaichi pushed the party to enact it by the end of March. Her request resulted in a failure.

 

It is an undeniable fact that her high popularity does not contribute to boosting the LDP. In local elections in March and April, candidates backed by LDP consecutively defeated. In the gubernatorial election of Ishikawa prefecture in early March, the incumbent governor, or former lawmaker with the LDP, lost to former mayor of Kanazawa, despite Takaichi’s stumping for the campaign. While some voters like Takaichi as long as she protests old politics in the LDP, it is inevitable for her to cope with the leading parties to promote her agenda.

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