Takaichi Sanae’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners are likely to win 366 of the 465 seats in the lower house, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The political party led by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Must win According to an exit poll released by public broadcaster NHK, Japan’s 465-seat House of Representatives had 274 seats to 328 seats, well above the 233 seats needed for a majority.

Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), along with its coalition partner Japan’s Innovation Party (Ishin), are likely to gain 366 of the 465 seats in the more powerful lower house in Sunday’s election, NHK reported.

“We have always stressed the importance of responsible and proactive fiscal policy,” Takaichi told reporters after media forecasts showed her party winning in snap lower house elections.

“We will prioritize the sustainability of fiscal policy. We will ensure the necessary investments.”

Despite Takaichi’s popularity, the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed for much of the past seven decades, has been beset by funding and religious scandals. Three months later, the prime minister called an early election on Sunday in the hope of reversing the party’s political fortunes.

However, Koichi’s election pledge to suspend an 8% food sales tax to help households cope with rising prices has unsettled investors, who worry about how the country with the most debt burden among advanced economies will fund the plan.

Still, residents struggled to vote in a winter that saw record snowfall in parts of the country, causing traffic jams and requiring some polling stations to close early.

“It felt like she was creating a sense of direction, like the whole country was moving together. That really resonated with me,” Kazushige Cho, 54, told Reuters.

Meanwhile, 74-year-old Niigata resident Mineko Mori, walking in the snow with her dog, said she was concerned that Taka City’s tax break could place a greater burden on future generations.

‘She can push through any legislation’

Craig Mark, a lecturer at Hosei University, said Takaichi’s apparent success in early election results could give the LDP the ability to “overpower the opposition”.

“Essentially, she can push for any legislation she wants, whether it’s record budget Recently approved defense spending,” Mark told Al Jazeera in the capital Tokyo.

He added that it was also Koichi’s “best chance” to change the country’s image as a pacifist country. Japan’s post-World War II constitution did not formally recognize the military and limited it to a nominal self-defense capability.

The chairman of Japan’s top business lobby Keidanren welcomed the results, saying it restored political stability.

“The Japanese economy is currently at a critical juncture in achieving sustainable strong growth,” Tsutsui Yoshinobu said.

tensions in china

China will also pay close attention to the results.

Just weeks after taking office, the senior high official sparked the biggest dispute with China in more than a decade by publicly outlining how Tokyo might respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

A strong mandate could accelerate her plans to bolster military defenses, which Beijing sees as an attempt to revive Japan’s militaristic past.

“Beijing will not welcome a high-market victory,” said David Boling, head of the Asia Group, which advises companies on geopolitical risk.

“China now faces the reality that she is firmly entrenched and its efforts to isolate her have completely failed.”