Taipei: President Lai Ching-te 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 the House of Representatives election.

According to Focus Taiwan, as Taiwan and Japan continue to face regional challenges, Lai expressed his eagerness to work with Takaichi based on shared values and 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 the country 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 announced its congratulations to 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, expressed his belief in a Facebook post that Taiwan-Japan relations will continue to grow under Takaichi's leadership, particularly in the economics and business sectors.

Sunday's snap polls were conducted 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, secured 316 seats on Sunday, marking 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 called after Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, decided to dissolve the Diet three months after taking office. According to Japanese media, her goal was to enable the LDP to gain a stable majority in the Lower House, thus facilitating the passage of legislation to advance her policies.