Japan votes in snow-hit snap polls as Takaichi eyes strong mandate

A woman walks past a board displaying posters of candidates for the House of Representatives election during a snowfall in Tokyo on February 8, 2026. [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 rile China and 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.