The Japanese House of Representatives officially named Sanae Takaichi as Prime Minister today, ten days after her party's historic victory in the elections. Takaichi, 64, became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Japan in October. Her party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), won a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in the early legislative elections held on February 8, securing 315 seats. This result is the best in the LDP's history, while its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, received 36 seats, giving the ruling coalition 351 out of 465 seats in the parliament. In the previous parliament, the LDP held 198 seats and the Innovation Party 34. Takaichi stated that she aims to enhance Japan's military capabilities, which could exacerbate tensions with China. She also faces pressure to revitalize the struggling economy. The elections also saw the anti-immigration sansetto party increase its seats from 2 to 15. The centrist reformist opposition coalition, comprising the Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito (the LDP's former partner), suffered a major setback, winning only 49 seats compared to 167 in the previous parliament.
