Japan’s ruling party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is set to seal a decisive win in Sunday’s snap election, exit polls suggest.
The country’s first female prime minister is seeking a clear public mandate just four months after becoming Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) leader.
Her predicted success is in marked contrast to her two predecessors, under whom the party lost its parliamentary majority because of corruption scandals and rising costs.
An LDP-led coalition has governed Japan for much of its post-war history due to the lack of a strong opposition.
Some called the snap election a big gamble after the LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament, and its decades-old coalition with the Komeito party had collapsed.
But Takaichi’s personal popularity appears to have helped the party, with approval ratings for her government mostly hovering above 70%.
The LDP is projected to win 274 of 328 seats in the race, according to a poll by broadcaster NHK.
People across Japan braved snow to vote in the country’s first mid-winter poll in 36 years.
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.
“People want their lives to be better and more comfortable because we are so accustomed to not having inflation [costs rising]… so people are very worried. I think we need a long-term solution rather than short-term fixes,” Ritsuko Ninomiya, a voter in Tokyo told the BBC.
Japanese voters have been frustrated with the recent political scandals in the LDP, especially as costs soared.
“Housing is very expensive,” says Rumi Hayama. “Our son is getting bigger and we need a bigger place but it is not affordable although we have decent jobs. Prices are getting higher and [it is] getting hard to live in Japan. It was not like this before.”
