TOKYO (AFP)
Japan voted in snow-hit snap elections Sunday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hoping to turn a honeymoon start into a resounding ballot box victory that could rattle financial markets.
Opinion polls suggest that Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost non-stop for decades, will easily win more than the 233 seats needed to regain a majority in the powerful 465-member lower house.
Of the total lower house seats, 289 will be filled from single-member constituencies, while 176 will be elected through proportional representation across 11 regional blocs.
Heavy snowfall blanketed many parts of the country on election day, including Tokyo and other regions that rarely see winter snow.
It is the first time in decades that Japan holds a general election in snowy February.
Voting stations were due to close at 8:00pm (1100 GMT) with media predictions based on partial results expected soon afterwards.
Japan votes in snow-hit snap polls
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February 07, 2026
