Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party has turned the wobbly coalition she inherited back in October as Japan's first woman prime minister into a landslide win in snap elections, giving the 64-year-old admirer of late British maverick prime minister Margaret Thatcher enough leeway to reform the constitution and break with eight decades of pacifism. 

In a nation whose population is in decline, we ask why young Gen Z voters broke for the anti-immigrant, China-bashing nationalist and whether flag-waving is the way to go. Cue the conservative sweep in Thailand this past weekend. There, it's border tensions with Cambodia that upended the script. 

And then there is what Takaichi does with her endorsement by US President Donald Trump, who's preparing a spring visit to China, and a United States whose military presence remains vital for both Japan and South Korea. Washington is in two minds when it comes to defending Taiwan and keeping the peace in the Pacific. How volatile could it get in the region?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Rochelle Ferguson.