JAKARTA - Sanae Takaichi was re-elected as Prime Minister of Japan in a parliamentary session on Wednesday (18/2), after the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a landslide victory in the Lower House election on February 8.
Reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 18, before the start of the regular session of parliament, Takaichi's cabinet resigned en masse in accordance with the constitution. He is scheduled to form a new cabinet on the same day without major changes for the continuity of government.
In the Lower House, Takaichi obtained a majority of 354 votes from the ruling coalition. In the Upper House, he won the second round with 125 votes, defeating Junya Ogawa who received 65 votes.
All ministers, including Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, remain in office.
Wednesday evening, Takaichi is scheduled to give a press conference on his "aggressive but measured" fiscal policy. He will also outline plans to temporarily abolish the consumption tax on food for the next two years.
He will ask for a temporary conclusion before the summer from a cross-party "national council" on freezing the 8 percent food tax currently in place.
Takaichi also expressed a desire to push for a constitutional change so that it is no longer pacifist (peaceful) - Article 9 of the Japanese constitution prohibits the country from using military force to attack. He also wants to strengthen defense capabilities. However, constitutional amendments require the support of two-thirds of members in both parliamentary chambers before a national referendum is held.
In the last election, the LDP won a record 316 of 465 seats in the Lower House, the first time a party in Japan has won a super majority or more than two-thirds of seats since World War II.
On the other hand, Takaichi has to manage relations with China after his statement in November 2025 about the possibility of Japan acting if Taiwan is attacked.
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