Hello and welcome to Newshour from the BBC World Service, coming live from London.
This is Owen Bennett-Jones.
Well, it was election day in Japan,
and the country's first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, called the vote.
She wanted enough backing to form a stable Liberal Democratic Party government, and she got it.
She won a very clear landslide victory.
Now, the LDP is used to holding power in Japan;
it has been in charge almost continuously since 1955.
But some recent elections, 2024, 2025, showed that the LDP had lost support.
The question today was whether she could restore the LDP to its predominant position.
These two voters were outside a polling station in Tokyo:
“Takaichi has a slightly different vibe compared to what we've seen so far in the political scene.
So I'm feeling somewhat hopeful.
That's why I voted.”
“Well, I know it's not just because she's a woman.
Ultimately, I really want Takaichi to do well.”
So Shaimaa Khalil is our Tokyo correspondent.
A big win, was that expected?
Yes, and Sanae Takaichi bet her leadership on this election, and it paid off.
She wanted to ride that wave of popularity that she's enjoyed in her just over three months in power