The LDP won a historic landslide victory, with the party regaining its majority in the House and setting a new postwar record for the most seats won by a single party with 316 seats. This gave the party a two-thirds supermajority in its own right, and surpassed the previous record of 308 seats won by the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009 and the LDP record of 300 seats won in 1986. Meanwhile, the CRA severely underperformed, losing more than two-thirds of its pre-election seats and leading to the resignations of party co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito after the election.[3] Other parties that gained seats included the ultraconservative and far-right party Sanseitō and the new e-democracy party Team Mirai.
Analysts credited the LDP's victory to Takaichi's high personal popularity at the time of the election, particularly among young voters and conservatives who had previously defected from the party, as well as to CDP and Komeito voters who opposed their parties' merger, declining to support the CRA.[4][5][6]The Economist described the result as a personal mandate for Takaichi, and a repudiation of the CRA.[7] The 2023–2024 slush fund scandal that costed the LDP their majority in the previous election did not feature significantly this time. 41 out of 43 LDP candidates tied to the scandal were elected.[8]
On 7 September, Ishiba announced that he would resign as president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.[13][14][15] Ishiba stated he sought to claim "responsibility" as party leader for losses in recent elections, and to avoid dividing the party.[16] Ishiba's announcement effectively cancelled the emergency election process entirely. He instead instructed LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, whose resignation had not been accepted by Ishiba, to begin the process to hold an extraordinary presidential election.[17] Ishiba said he determined that now was the "appropriate time" to step aside, after a written version of the Japan–U.S. tariff agreement had been finalized.[18] Ishiba promised to continue serving as Prime Minister until a new leader was elected, and did not endorse a candidate in the subsequent election. His tenure lasted about one year.[19] In the 2025 LDP leadership election on 5 October, Takaichi was elected as the LDP's first female president. In her first acts as party president, Takaichi appointed Tarō Asō as vice president and Shun'ichi Suzuki as secretary-general of the LDP.[20]
On 10 October, Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito announced that it would leave the ruling coalition, over disagreements with Takaichi's leadership and the party's handling of the 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal, ending 26 years of the LDP–Komeito coalition.[21] Following this, the vote to confirm Takaichi as prime minister was delayed to 20 October.[21] On 20 October, Takaichi and the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) leader Hirofumi Yoshimura agreed to sign a coalition agreement. Takaichi was elected prime minister by the Diet on 21 October, with the support of Ishin and independents, and the right-wing conservative coalition was formed.[22]
Early election call
On 13 January 2026, it emerged that Takaichi had communicated her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives,[23][24] when it re-convened on 23 January to senior LDP officials.[25][26] Subsequently, the LDP instructed its prefectural chapters to register general election candidates by 19 January.[27] Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had instructed prefectural election boards to prepare for a general election.[28] In response to an apparently leaked LDP projection of the results of an election, LDP officials said that "260 seats seems like too much in reality", and that "within the party, it's assumed that at least a simple majority of 233 seats will be won".[29] On 19 January, Takaichi officially announced her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives on 23 January at a press conference.[30] Campaigning would begin on 27 January, with election day beginning after polls opened on 8 February.[31]
In response to the reports of an imminent election, the CDP considered forming a new political alliance with opposition parties to run a single proportional representation list against the LDP, potentially including Komeito, who previously had a 26-year alliance with the governing LDP.[32] The CDP also instructed its prefectural chapters to meet with Komeito's local organisations, and Diet members to seek electoral cooperation.[33] On 14 January, it was found that the cooperation between the CDP and Komeito had begun with view to a merger of the two parties.[34] The merged party would caucus separately in the House of Councillors, but operate as a single party in the House of Representatives, with current CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito serving as co-leaders.[35] The merged party's proposed name was Chūdō Kaikaku (中道改革; Centrist Reform),[36][37] before its official name was finalised as Chūdō Kaikaku Rengō (中道改革連合; lit. Centrist Reform Alliance) (CRA).[38] Saito said that Noda would be named prime minister if the CRA won the election.[39]
Komeito announced it would not contest any constituency seats in favour of running in the proportional blocks.[40]Jiji Press created a model of the constituency seats which projected that the LDP would win 97 constituency seats and the CDP would win 139 with the results of the 2024 election.[41]Nippon Television projected that, with a hypothetical CDP–Komeito merger, the LDP would retain just 60 of its 132 single member districts with the 2024 election.[42] As a result of this merger, the new CRA would now have 172 seats in the National Diet, thus significantly weakening the LDP's already fragile grip on power.[43][44][45]
The 465 seats of the House of Representatives are contested via parallel voting. Of these, 289 members are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting, while 176 members are elected in 11 multi-member constituencies via party list proportional representation. Candidates from parties with legal political party-list, which requires either ≥5 Diet members or ≥1 Diet member and ≥2% of the nationwide vote in one tier of a recent national election, are allowed to stand in a constituency and be present on the party list. If they lose their constituency vote, they may still be elected in the proportionally allocated seats; however, if such a dual candidate wins less than 10% of the vote in their majoritarian constituency, they are also disqualified as a proportional candidate.[46]
The press conference where Takaichi announced her intention to hold an early general election
Riding on the high approval ratings of her cabinet, the snap election was seen as a power move to boost Sanae Takaichi's mandate and gain a majority in the lower house,[30] which was only one seat away if including the Nippon Ishin No Kai.[48][49][50] Takaichi also announced that she would resign as prime minister if the ruling bloc did not win a majority.[51] The LDP was campaigning on its promises of increased spending, tax cuts, in the name of "responsible yet aggressive fiscal policy", and a new security strategy by abolishing the "five categories" which restricted defence equipment exports to non-combat purposes.[52] The party also looked to tighten rules on foreign acquisition of housing and land.[53]
Despite being the largest opposition party after the merge, the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) target of changing the government apparently faded into the background given the prevalent multi-party situation which made it difficult for a single party to gain a majority. The coalition aimed to accelerating political restructuring, with the possibility of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and part of the LDP joining the coalition after the election in mind.[51] Komeito candidates only ran in proportional representation seats in this election, with its voters' inclination becoming a focus of attention due to the previously longstanding cooperative relationship with the LDP.[51] The party campaigned on "putting ordinary citizens first and their livelihoods at the center" and lowering the consumption tax on food to zero, as well as the LDP slush fund scandal, by proposing stricter rules on corporate and group donations.[53][54]
Nippon Ishin No Kai, LDP coalition partner, recommended LDP candidates in over 80 constituencies.[51] The reports of an election prompted both Yoshimura (governor of Osaka Prefecture) and Hideyuki Yokoyama (mayor of Osaka) to resign from their posts with the aim of running for re-election alongside the general election, as well as to seek endorsement of the Osaka Metropolis Plan.[55] The party said to carry out reforms that the LDP had not been able to implement, with the focus on national security, economic security and economic growth and the aim to reduce consumption tax on food to zero.[54]
The right-leaning DPP, which gained significant ground in the 2025 Japanese House of Councillors election, pledged to ensure that everyone's take-home pay would be increased by 60,000 yen per year.[54] It also called for consumption tax reduction to 5% until wage growth stabilised at 2% above inflation.[53] The Japan Communist Party (JCP) called for immediate cut of consumption tax to 5% and its eventual abolition, while sought to legalise the option of separate surnames for married couples and same-sex marriage, as well as correcting the gender pay gap,[53] while the left-wing pacifist Reiwa Shinsengumi campaigned on abolishing the consumption tax, providing a stopgap cash payment of 100,000 yen, lowering social insurance premiums and not participating in the war business.[54]
On 24 January, two new minor right-wing parties, Tax Cuts Japan and Yukoku Alliance and the New Unionist Party, were announced by former MPs Kazuhiro Haraguchi (also former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications) and Takashi Kawamura, along with the independents.[56][57] Five incumbent MPs have joined the party, qualifying it for national party status.[58] The party also campaigned on abolishing the consumption tax and investing in developing hypersonic missiles.[53][54]Sohei Kamiya, the leader of the far-right political party Sanseitō, said that the party plans to field candidates in LDP constituencies where the incumbent has "advocated multicultural coexistence".[59] It campaigned on abolishing the consumption tax, while also opposing the "excessive acceptance of immigrants" by limiting their numbers.[54]
Overall turnout was estimated at 55.68% in single-seat districts, higher than the last election's relatively low turnout of 53.85%. Early voting turnout in 2026 amounted to over 27 million voters or 26% of the electorate, a new all-time high for both national parliamentary (Representatives/Councillors) elections. This was attributed to the harsh winter weather during the election.[80][81]
Results
The LDP won a landslide victory, with the party winning an outright two-thirds supermajority and regaining its majority status in the chamber.[82] The LDP's total of at least 316 seats is the most ever won by a party in Japanese post-war electoral history,[83][84] surpassing the previous record of 308 seats won by the DPJ in the 2009 election and its own record of 300 seats in the 1986 election, as well as its previous record in terms of the share of seats from the 1960 election. The total LDP–JIP coalition, including 36 seats from JIP, now composed three-fourths of the House of Representatives.[4][5]
The LDP actually won enough votes to win 330 seats; however, due to so few district candidates from the LDP losing, it did not have enough candidates to fill its seats in the proportional tier. The LDP therefore forfeited 14 seats to other parties, including 6 in the Southern Kantō block, 5 in the Tokyo block, 2 in the Hokuriku-Shin'etsu block, and 1 in the Chūgoku block. These 14 seats went to the CRA (6), DPP (2), Ishin (2), Team Mirai (2), Sanseitō (1), and Reiwa Shinsegumi (1). Meanwhile, Team Mirai forfeited two seats in the Kinki block, as its district candidates did not cross the 10% eligibility threshold to be elected from the proportional tier; these two seats went to the CRA and Ishin.[85]
↑"首相、通常国会冒頭で解散の意向 衆院選、自民幹部に伝達"[Prime Minister conveys intention to dissolve Diet at start of regular session ahead of Lower House election to LDP officials]. 47NEWS (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
↑"【速報】自民党は衆院選公認予定候補者を１９日までに申請するよう都道府県連に通知した：時事ドットコム"[[Breaking News] The Liberal Democratic Party has notified prefectural chapters to submit candidates for the House of Representatives election by the 19th]. 時事ドットコム (in Japanese). 13 January 2026. Archived from the original on 13 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
↑"立憲民主と公明、新党結成を視野に調整 15日に両党幹部が協議へ：朝日新聞"[Constitutional democracy, Komeito, and coordination with a view to the formation of a new party: On the 15th, the leaders of the two parties will discuss]. 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 14 January 2026. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
↑"立憲と公明が新党結成へ調整 野田・斉藤共同代表案も 15日議員総会"[Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito to form new party; Noda and Saito to co-representatives proposed at general assembly on 15th]. 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
↑"「『一体どういうことなのか』と憤りの打電」立憲民主党、公明党が新党「中道改革」に向けて調整に 政権交代を想定する声もあるが、新党側も一枚岩ではなさそう"["WTF is it?!" Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito to coordinate for the new party "Centrist Reform Alliance" Some people assume regime change, but the new party side also does not seem to be monolithic!]. Togetter [トゥギャッター] (in Japanese). 15 January 2026. Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
↑"【詳報】立憲民主と公明、新党結成で合意 党名は「中道改革」で調整：朝日新聞"[[Full report] Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito agree to form new party; party name to be decided as "Centrist Reform"]. 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 15 January 2026. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
↑"速報". テレ朝NEWS (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
↑慎平, 奥原 (14 January 2026). "参政・神谷氏、多文化共生掲げる自民議員には「候補者たてる」 目標は「30～40」議席"[Councillor Kamiya: "We will field candidates" for LDP lawmakers who advocate multicultural coexistence, aiming for "30–40" seats]. 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
↑"各党に問う 衆院選の争点は". NHK. 1 February 2026. Archived from the original on 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
↑高市自民が圧倒的大勝利…自民単独で300議席超えも 与党は324～365議席と3分の２上回り中道は36～66議席と歴史的大敗に【衆院選2026】[Takaichi's LDP wins a landslide victory... The LDP alone wins over 300 seats, but the ruling party wins 324-365 seats, a two-thirds majority, while the centrists lose only 36-66 seats, a historic defeat [House of Representatives Election 2026]]. Fuji News Network (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑自民党が歴史的大勝！単独で歴代最多313議席獲得か 再可決に必要な「3分の2」超える 衆院選【ANN議席予測】[The LDP wins a historic victory! Will it win a record 313 seats on its own? Exceeding the two-thirds majority needed for re-passing the House of Representatives election. [ANN Seat Prediction]]. ABEMA Times (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑選挙戦最終日に各党幹部vsテレ東キャスター陣を実現 生中継で聞く経済政策の行方！ 選挙サテライト2026前日スペシャル～投票前日に全政党に生直撃！政界地図は変わるのか？～[On the final day of the election campaign, party leaders face off against TV Tokyo newscasters. Hear about the outcome of economic policies in a live broadcast! Election Satellite 2026 Day Before Special: Live interviews with all political parties on the day before the vote! Will the political map change?]. TV Tokyo (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑【衆院選】自民、300議席を上回る勢い【出口調査】[[House of Representatives Election] LDP on track to win more than 300 seats [Exit Poll]]. Nippon News Network (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑【速報】自民単独で過半数大きく上回り300議席に達する可能性[[Breaking News] LDP alone could win a majority, reaching 300 seats]. NHK (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑【速報】自民・圧勝 与党で3分の2上回る勢い 中道は公示前の半数を下回る見通し【JNN冒頭議席予測 衆議院選挙2026】[[Breaking News] LDP Wins by a Majority, Ruling Party on Track to Exceed Two-Thirds of the Elections, Center-Reaching Parties Expected to Fall Below Half of Their Pre-Election Stakes [JNN Opening Seat Predictions for the 2026 House of Representatives Election]]. TBS News (in Japanese). 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
↑＜写真・図解まとめ＞衆院選2026[<Photos and illustrations> House of Representatives Election 2026]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 5 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
↑衆議院選挙 小選挙区の終盤情勢【大阪・兵庫・京都・滋賀・奈良・和歌山・徳島まとめ】 JNNインターネット調査に取材を加味【衆院選2026】[House of Representatives Election: Final Situation in Single-Seat Constituencies [Summary of Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama, and Tokushima] JNN Online Survey with Additional Interviews [House of Representatives Election 2026]]. Japan News Network (in Japanese). 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
↑自民・維新300議席超うかがう 衆院選終盤情勢、中道半減の可能性[LDP and Ishin Party likely to win over 300 seats in final stages of Lower House election, possibility of centrist party split in half]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
↑自民党が単独過半数の勢い、中道改革連合は大幅減…衆議院選挙終盤情勢[LDP on track for majority, centrist reform coalition loses significant share... Final stages of House of Representatives election]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
↑自維300議席超うかがう 中道半減も 参政・みらい勢い 朝日調査[LDP likely to win over 300 seats, moderate parties halved, gains momentum in parliament and future, Asahi survey]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
↑自民、単独過半数うかがう 中道は浸透せず 毎日新聞衆院選序盤調査[LDP eyeing majority on its own, centrist party fails to gain traction, Mainichi Shimbun early Lower House election survey]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
↑【衆議院選挙】関西の"激戦区"情報も 注目の『序盤情勢』を深掘り解説 / 大阪１９区・大阪５区・兵庫８区・兵庫９区・滋賀１区【JNN序盤情勢】[[House of Representatives Election] Information on the "battlegrounds" in Kansai: An in-depth look at the notable "early election situation" / Osaka District 19, Osaka District 5, Hyogo District 8, Hyogo District 9, Shiga District 1 [JNN Early Election Situation]]. Japan News Network (in Japanese). 30 January 2026. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
↑【完全版】2.8衆院選予測「全289選挙区当落リスト」自民＆維新は大誤算！《落選危機 現職閣僚3人の実名》《リベンジ丸川珠代、陰の幹事長・萩生田、合同結婚式・長島は？》《国民横ばい、参政党7倍》[[Full Version] February 8th House of Representatives Election Prediction "List of Winners and Losers in All 289 Electoral Districts" - LDP and Ishin Party Make a Major Miscalculation! [Names of Three Incumbent Cabinet Ministers at Risk of Losing] [Revenge for Tamayo Marukawa, Secret Secretary General Hagiuda, and Mass Wedding for Nagashima?] [Kokumin Party's Number Flat, 7x More Popular Parties]]. Shūkan Bunshun (in Japanese). 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
↑自民単独過半数の勢い 衆議院選挙の序盤情勢、中道は議席減の可能性[LDP on track for majority in House of Representatives election: Early signs suggest center-right parties may lose seats]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
↑自民が単独過半数うかがう、中道は伸び悩み・国民横ばい・参政大幅増…読売序盤情勢調査[LDP on track for majority, centrists sluggish, Kokumin voters flat, and significant increase in suffocation...Yomiuri poll]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
↑2026年総選挙を全予測「ここを落とせば高市政権は終わり」と言われる《意外な選挙区》の名前[A complete prediction for the 2026 general election: The names of "unexpected electoral districts" where "a loss here would be the end of the Takaichi administration"]. Gendai Media (in Japanese). 15 December 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
↑【選挙区リスト付き】衆院選当落予測 サナエ劇場で自民圧勝！《大人気の高市内閣でも副大臣7人、政務官1人が危機》《丸川珠代、パンツ高木、武田良太…裏金浪人候補の明暗》[[Constituency list included] Lower House Election Results Prediction: Sanae's Theater Shows a Crushing LDP Victory! 《Even the Popular Takaichi Cabinet Faces Crisis with Seven Vice Ministers and One Parliamentary Vice-Minister》《Marukawa Tamayo, Pants Takagi, Takeda Ryota... The Light and Dark Side of the Slush Fund Ronin Candidates》]. Shūkan Bunshun (in Japanese). 12 November 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
0.50pp; Const. votes)
