Japanese people brave snow to vote in snap election

Getty ImagesJapan is holding a rare mid-winter electionPeople across Japan are braving snow to vote in a snap election called by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, whose coalition is expected clinch a decisive win, according to polls. This is first mid-winter election in 36 years in Japan, which usually holds polls during milder weather. But Takaichi called an election to seek the public's mandate soon after winning the party's leadership race. Polls show her Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) coalition with the populist Japanese Innovation Party could bag up to 300 of the 465 seats in the Lower House. This is a turnaround for the LDP, which lost its decades-old coalition ally and parliamentary majority because of corruption scandals and rising costs.After two LDP prime ministers who stepped down as their ratings plummeted, Takaihi has emerged as a popular candidate with voters. She appears to have won them over by offering tax cuts and subsidies. But critics are sceptical of whether her pledge to spend more will help a sluggish Japanese economy, given the country's government debt is one of the highest among developed nations. Observers say Takaichi's personal popularity may help boost the LDP's showing in this election. But snow could disrupt voter turnout, especially in the northern and eastern regions. The turnout for early voting this time, which was reported to be nearly 4.6 million people, was down 2.5% from the last election in 2024. The drop has been attributed to the weather.Several areas, including Niigata Prefecture in central Japan, reported heavy snow on Sunday. Japan's transport ministry said 37 train lines and 58 ferry routes were closed and 54 flights cancelled as of Sunday morning. There was rare snowfall in Tokyo as people headed out to vote.An admirer of former UK leader Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi has long pursued the ambition of becoming Japan's "Iron Lady". A known ally of Japan's late former PM Shinzo Abe, she advocates similar positions including strong defence and nationalist policies.Despite her traditional views on gender and family, Takaichi has proven especially popular among young voters between the ages of 18 and 30, polls show. Approval ratings for her government have mostly hovered above 70% since she first took office in October.She has garnered a strong following on social media, with 2.6m followers on X. The LDP's campaign video which she fronted was streamed over 100 million times in less than 10 days.The 64-year-old has also become an unlikely fashion icon as "sanakatsu" – which roughly translates to "Sanae-mania" – has spread. The black leather tote bag she is often seen carrying has sold out and the pink pen she used at her first press conference has gone viral. Getty ImagesWill Sunday's snap election gamble pay off for Japan's first female premier?Meet Japan's drum-playing, Thatcher-loving first female prime ministerSociologist Yuiko Fujita from Tokyo University sets this enthusiasm against the backdrop of how Japanese politics has traditionally been dominated by older men."The fact that the prime minister is now a woman, someone with a different background from what people are accustomed to, creates a feeling that something is shifting," she told Nikkei Asia.However, some are not convinced her popularity will translate into votes. "This is not a presidential election but a parliamentary election, in which the LDP's candidates are mostly men tainted by past scandals," political science professor Koichi Nakano, from Sophia University, told the BBC.Since 2023, the LDP had been mired in a fundraising scandal, which led to the resignation of four cabinet ministers and a corruption investigation.The snap election is a gamble for Takaichi as her party now faces a more unified opposition. The LDP's former longtime coalition partner Komeito has joined forces with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to form the largest opposition bloc in the Lower House.Another major hurdle the LDP faces is how to convince voters that its spending-heavy measures will not exacerbate Japan's financial fragility. The government's policy package may offer households short-term relief, but "fails to address the underlying problems of weak productivity and stagnant real wages", Masahiko Takeda, a senior fellow focusing on Asia at the Australian National University, wrote in an article this week.Moreover, Takaichi has dug herself into "a deep hole in foreign and security policy by antagonising China", said Nakano.Takaichi angered Beijing, Tokyo's largest trading partner, late last year with her suggestion that Japan could respond with its own self-defence force if China attacked Taiwan. The rift has plunged the historically tense relationship to its lowest point in more than a decade.Meanwhile she has pursued closer ties with US President Donald Trump as Tokyo seeks more stability in its relationship with Washington, its closest ally.On Friday, Trump endorsed Takaichi in a rare move for a US leader.AsiaJapan