Japan’s Takaichi is on track to score big in election gamble

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was on track to lead her party to a thumping victory in parliamentary elections, handing her a powerful mandate to deepen ties with the U.S. and rev up Japan’s economy.

The performance is a vindication for the 64-year-old conservative, who called the risky snap vote during a snowy Japanese winter only three months after taking office. Her gamble was that her straight-talking appeal to voters would cement her grip on power amid challenges including sluggish economic growth and worsening relations with Beijing. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, were on course to win around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house in Japan’s parliament, according to projections by public broadcaster NHK, a substantial majority and a big increase on the combined 230 they held before the vote.

The LDP alone was projected to win a majority of seats, according to NHK, a turnaround in the party’s fortunes after more than a decade of coalitions. “We stand at a crossroads that will profoundly transform our nation," Takaichi said Saturday in a message on social media, urging supporters to turn out and vote. The victory reflects Takaichi’s personal popularity.

Voters were enthused by what they saw as her decisiveness and frank style of communication, as well as her optimism and outsider status as a woman in a male-dominated political world. Many braved heavy snowfalls in parts of the country, which had been feared a deterrent to voters. “I like how Ms.