TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s thumping election win has blunted domestic opposition to her hawkish security agenda, encouraging plans to press ahead with a defense expansion that China has condemned as a return to militarism. As the scale of her government’s historic victory became clear on Sunday — capturing 352 of the 465 seats in the lower house — Takaichi said she would “work flat out to deliver” an agenda that includes building a military strong enough to deter Chinese threats to its islands, including those close to Taiwan.

Sanae Takaichi is popular - but inflation and a diplomatic row with China weigh on voters' minds.

TOKYO: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Saturday to make Japan “more prosperous and safer” in her final appeal to voters on the eve of snap elections. Opinion polls suggest…