Huge Election Win by Prime Minister Takaichi Will Bolster Japanese and US Security

Note: This article, "Huge Election Win by Prime Minister Takaichi Will Bolster Japanese and US Security," was published by the U.S. online journal American Greatness on February 13, 2026. It has been republished here with permission.

This week's Japanese Diet election produced a stunning outcome as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, secured a historic landslide victory in a snap election for the House of Representatives. With 316 out of 465 seats — a supermajority not seen from a single party in the postwar era — Takaichi's gamble on an early vote amid winter weather paid off spectacularly.

Just as stunning was how Takaichi scored this enormous win as one of President Donald Trump's strongest allies, contradicting claims by the mainstream media and many European leaders that President Trump's strong foreign and economic policies are eroding America's relationships with its allies.

This was not just a huge win for Takaichi and the LDP. It was a resounding endorsement of Japanese conservatism and the Trump-Takaichi partnership, which will strengthen a pro-United States government amid rising tensions with China.

Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, who ascended to this post in October 2025, has long embodied the conservative wing of her party. A protégé of the late Shinzo Abe and an admirer of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi's policies are very similar to President Trump's — she champions traditional values, economic nationalism, and a robust national defense.

The election results also reflected a voter realignment toward conservative priorities, with turnout edging up as Japanese citizens prioritized economic and social stability and sought to counter inflation.

China

At the same time, the Japanese people rejected the liberal opposition's far-left social reforms, weak policies on national security and immigration, and dubious tax cut and spending proposals, which were seen as election-year gimmicks.

National security and the growing regional threat from China were the top issues in the election campaign. Takaichi's November 2025 Diet remarks, which labeled a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan as an "existential crisis" for Japan that could potentially justify collective self-defense under 2015 legislation, sparked a diplomatic firestorm. Beijing reacted angrily to Takaichi's comments with economic coercion, including banning Japanese seafood imports, imposing rare-earth export controls, and slashing tourism, which halved the number of Chinese visitors.

One Chinese diplomat threatened to "cut off" Takaichi's "dirty neck" over her Taiwan comments.

China's over-the-top bullying backfired spectacularly. Takaichi refused to back down and was strongly supported by most Japanese, who are concerned about growing regional security threats from China, North Korea, and Russia. They also no longer support the false premise of Japan's left-wing parties that peace can be maintained if Japan is weak.

Although Takaichi has taken a hawkish approach toward China, she has also stressed the importance of dialogue to manage tensions and build a "constructive and stable relationship" with Beijing. At the same time, the prime minister plans to diversify Japan from Chinese supply chains and build closer ties with the Quad Security Dialogue (the Quad) countries (Australia, India, and the US), a strategic partnership created to counter rising economic and security threats from China in the Indo-Pacific. This dual-track approach, vindicated by the election, will promote security in the region and a more balanced power dynamic.

'Peace through Strength'

Takaichi often mentioned national security and strengthening the Japan-US alliance during the election campaign and has been praised by President Trump for her "peace through strength" agenda. This includes the prime minister's plans to quickly revise three strategic national security strategies to modernize Japan's defense forces, boost defense spending to two percent of GDP, and swiftly overhaul Japan's intelligence agencies, including by creating a new National Intelligence Bureau to enhance and centralize Japan's intelligence functions.

Most importantly, concerning Japan's defense, Takaichi has made constitutional amendment a core element of her conservative agenda to revise Article Nine of Japan's pacifist postwar constitution to better align Japan with current security threats. The prime minister has framed these changes as essential for enhancing national defense and enabling more proactive and normal Japanese defense policies.

Takaichi plans to move quickly to amend the constitution, with revisions that "protect the pride" of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and make them an effective organization. Any amendments will need a two-thirds approval by the Diet's upper house, whose next elections are two years away, and a national referendum.

At the heart of Takaichi's agenda are policies that combine economic and national security. On the domestic front, she has promised "responsible and proactive fiscal policy," including tax cuts, such as a two-year suspension of the food consumption tax, to combat inflation and boost household incomes.

The prime minister also plans to increase government investment in AI, quantum computing, and stronger supply chains to promote innovation and infrastructure growth and to frame national defense as an economic engine rather than a drain on the economy. Related to this will be the development of Japan's domestic defense industry.

Japan-US Friendship

European and Canadian leaders right now are whining about differences with the US over Greenland, pushing censorship and destructive energy policies, refusing to deal with out-of-control mass migration, and scoffing at President Trump's historic Gaza War peace plan. Some are also bizarrely attempting to build closer relations with China because of their pique with President Trump.

Fortunately, Japan has a far more enlightened leader in Prime Minister Takaichi, who greatly values Japan's security relationship with the United States and recognizes that President Trump's strong leadership has significantly improved global security. And unlike some European and Canadian leaders, Takaichi understands the grave threat that China poses to Japanese and global security and is taking steps to protect Japan from China rather than trying to ingratiate herself with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Trump was proud to give a "complete and total endorsement" to his friend and partner, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, before the Diet election. I look forward to the prime minister's victory lap when she visits the White House on March 19 to meet with President Trump and discuss how her party's astonishing political victory will strengthen Japan's defense and the Japan-US friendship and security relationship.

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• Nikkei Tops 57,000 as Election Result Fuels 'Takaichi Trade'

Author: Fred Fleitz

Fred Fleitz previously served as National Security Council chief of staff, a CIA analyst, and a House Intelligence Committee staff member. He is the Vice Chair of the America First Policy Institute's Center for American Security.