Analysts say Takaichi’s personality could revitalise a ruling party whose grip on power had been slipping
Surveys this week show Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling coalition could be a major winner of the elections on Sunday.
Polls suggest that momentum could translate into a sweeping victory for Takaichi’s party which could capture as many as 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house, a sharp reversal after her predecessor lost control of both chambers over the past 15 months.
Japan’s 64-year-old Takahichi has become an unlikely pop culture phenomenon, and the craze surrounding her could help deliver a decisive election win this Sunday.
What fans are calling Sana-katsu or Sana-mania has taken off among young voters.
Everything the conservative leader touches seems to sell out, including the US$900 (SG$1,150) Hamano leather handbag she carries.
“Well, she’s the first female prime minister, so a lot of young people, like myself, are curious about what kind of apparel she uses,” said Yumi Namiki, a University student.
“And I saw a lot of posts going viral about it. So, you know, I think it would be nice if I could use the same things as her. So I was curious about it and looked it up,” she added.
Among voters under 30, Takahichi’s approval has topped 90 percent in at least one recent poll, far above her already strong overall rating of around 60 percent. Part of that appeal is her social media presence.
Takahichi has amassed 2.6 million followers on X, dwarfing her rivals.
Analysts say her greatest asset may be her personality, revitalising a ruling party whose grip on power had been slipping.
Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University told the NTD news, “Well, actually, being more popular than the past leaders of the LDP is not so difficult, given that all of them, not even most of them, but all of them have been middle-aged, boring men, or even elderly, boring men. And therefore, they had this very stagnant image that were not very communicative and were harder to understand,” he said.
“And so, in some ways, Takahichi cut a fresh image,” he added.
However, Nakano cautioned that the votes are going to be decided on the constituency level, rather than solely on Takaichi’s popularity.
“Because even though Takahichi and her entourage are doing their best to present this election as about her, and hoping that there’s going to be some sort of eye-catching Sanakatsu moment that is going to take place, the actual votes take place on the constituency level, in the regional level, on the basis of the candidates and the party name, rather than Takahichi herself,” he said.
“And so, I think for her to try to make the most of her personal popularity is understandable, but how much of that is actually going to translate into the vote?“
