Japan’s Liberal Democratic party has crushed the ruling Democrats in an election landslide so emphatic that together with a smaller coalition partner it will be able to enact legislation even without approval by the Diet’s upper house.
The victory redrew at a stroke the political landscape of the world’s third-largest economy and signalled potentially far-reaching shifts in its fiscal and monetary policy and in its dealings with China and other regional neighbours.
State broadcaster NHK said the LDP had won at least 293 of the 480 seats in the Diet’s lower house and that together with smaller ally Komeito had secured a two-thirds supermajority that would allow it to drive legislation through parliament even if the upper chamber – where they lack a majority – tries to block it.