TOKYO: US President Donald Trump gave his “total endorsement” of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of a national election in Japan on Sunday, adding he looked forward to hosting her at the White House next month.
Japan’s first female premier, a conservative who said she draws inspiration from Britain’s “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher, was already expected to deliver a solid win for her ruling coalition, according to opinion polls. She is seeking a public mandate for spending plans that have rattled investors, and a defense build-up that could further strain relations with China.
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, could capture around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house of parliament, the polls show, well up from the razor-thin majority they now control.
TRUMP’S BACKING A TAILWIND FOR TAKAICHI
“Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.
