Japan votes as PM Sanae Takaichi seeks big win while snowfall delays polling in some areas

Polls opened across Japan on Sunday, January 8, in a parliamentary election that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes will deliver her party a decisive victory, even as severe winter weather threatens to disrupt voting in parts of the country. Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, is seeking a fresh mandate to advance an ambitious conservative agenda that includes higher defense spending and tougher immigration policies.

Opinion polls cited by Al Jazeera suggest her ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), could secure more than 300 of the 465 seats in the lower house of parliament, a significant increase from the 233 seats currently held.

The opposition, despite forming a new centrist alliance and facing competition from a rising far-right, remains fragmented and is widely viewed as unlikely to mount a serious challenge to the ruling coalition. However, record snowfall across northern Japan over recent weeks has raised concerns about voter turnout and potential delays in vote counting. Heavy snow has blocked roads and has been blamed for dozens of deaths nationwide, adding logistical challenges to election day.

Weather forecast for Japan as winter election continues

Winter conditions remain severe across large parts of Japan, particularly along the Sea of Japan coast, where a strong winter pressure pattern continues to dump heavy snow. NHK reported that heavy snow alerts were issued for Tottori and Fukui prefectures.

In the Yoshikata district of Tottori, 30 centimeters of snow fell in just six hours through 7 a.m. Sunday. Election officials in the prefecture said, as cited by the outlet voting at one polling station was delayed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. due to heavy snowfall.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said snowfall is being intensified by a cold air mass flowing into the upper atmosphere and by bands of snow clouds generated by a Japan Sea polar air mass convergence zone. Heavy snow is expected to peak through Sunday night, particularly in the northern Kinki and Sanin regions.

Snow is also forecast in typically low-snow areas, including parts of the Kanto, Tokai, central Kinki, and Kyushu regions. Up to 8 centimeters of snow is expected in low-lying areas of southern Kanto through Monday morning, including up to 3 centimeters in Tokyo’s 23 wards.