Today, Les, Jamil, and Jess break down Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s sweeping victory in a snap election, a historic result that gives the Liberal Democratic Party a two-thirds majority in the lower house for the first time since World War II. The outcome dramatically strengthens Takaichi’s political mandate and opens the door to significant shifts in Japan’s national security policy. With a strong working relationship with Washington, the moment may be ripe for deeper U.S.–Japan coordination and a stronger coalition to counter China’s growing military power, including its rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal.

While Takaichi now has the authority to act on national security issues, economic concerns are what drove voters to the polls. Can she deliver economic results while advancing a more assertive defense agenda? And as China pushes regional red lines, how will Japan balance domestic pressures with the strategic realities ahead?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

@lestermunson

@jamil_n_jaffer

@NotTVJessJones

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