Japan Holds Lower House Election Amid Heavy Snowfall; Vote Seen as Referendum on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Tokyo. Voting is underway on Sunday for the lower house in Japan. Voters are participating in the snap general election by reaching polling stations amidst heavy snowfall across the country. The vote is being viewed as a referendum for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. This election will determine Takaichi's political future.

Takaichi called this mid-winter election to seek a mandate after winning the party leadership. This is the first time in 36 years that an election has been held in such weather conditions in Japan. Polls suggest that Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) coalition and the populist Japanese Innovation Party could win around 300 out of 465 seats in the lower house. This is considered a major comeback for the LDP, which lost its previous majority due to corruption scandals and rising prices.

Takaichi has become popular by promising tax cuts and subsidies after two prime ministers with weak ratings. However, critics are skeptical that further spending will stimulate the economy amid high public debt. Voting has been affected in the northern and eastern regions due to snowfall. Takaichi, who aspires to become 'Japan's Iron Lady,' was a close aide to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

She is a supporter of hardline security and nationalist policies. Despite holding traditional family views, she is extremely popular among youth aged 18-30. Her approval rating has been mostly above 70% since October. Takaichi, who has 2.6 million followers on social media, had her campaign video viewed over 100 million times in just 10 days.