Lai congratulates Japan's Takaichi, LDP on landslide election victory

Taipei, Feb. 9 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Sunday night congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on their historic landslide victory in Japan's general election earlier in the day.

The decisive win "clearly demonstrates the trust and expectations of Japanese voters for Sanae Takaichi's leadership and vision," Lai wrote in Chinese and Japanese in a post on X, after Takaichi and her party won a two-thirds majority in House of Representatives election.

As Taiwan and Japan continue to face regional challenges, Lai said, he looks forward to working with Takaichi, based on shared values and the spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation, to jointly promote Indo-Pacific peace and prosperity.

He also extended his best wishes for Japan's sustainable development and the well-being of its people, as it strives to build a prosperous and secure future under Takaichi's leadership.

Meanwhile, in a press release on Monday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had congratulated Takaichi and the members of the Japan-ROC Diet Members Consultative Council, a Taiwan-Japan parliamentary group, on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan.

Taiwan's top envoy to Japan, Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), said in a Facebook post that he believes Taiwan-Japan relations will continue to grow under Takaichi's leadership, particularly in the economics and business sectors.

Sunday's snap polls were held to elect all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house in the Diet.

The LDP, which held 198 seats before the election, won 316 on Sunday, securing the biggest majority for a single party in postwar Japan.

The LDP and its coalition partner the Japan Innovation Party now jointly hold 352 seats.

The snap election was held after Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, decided to dissolve the Diet three months after she took office.

According to Japanese media, her goal was to give the LDP a chance to gain a stable majority in the Lower House, thus making it easier to pass legislation to advance her policies.