Good morning. Here's what happened overnight and what you need to know today.
1.
Snap victory: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s gamble to call a snap election three months into her term has delivered a sweeping victory, with her Liberal Democratic Party seen winning a single-party majority in Japan’s lower house, according to projections by NHK and Nikkei. The LDP secured 291 seats in the 465-member lower house, according to results collated by NHK, surpassing the 261-seat threshold for an absolute stable majority. Together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, the ruling bloc was projected to exceed the 310 seats needed for a two-thirds supermajority. In a television interview with NHK, Takaichi said the LDP had fought the election on major policy shifts and would tackle them “with all our strength”. She said she would be flexible and seek support from the opposition. The Centrist Reform Alliance, formed by the Constitutional Democratic Party and the Buddhist-backed Komeito (the LDP’s former coalition partner) was projected to lose about half of its pre-election total of 167 seats. Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, now holds a strong mandate with no election due until 2028, and is expected to outline next steps at a press conference on Monday. (Nikkei)(FT)(AP)(Capital Brief)
2.
Repair job: Sussan Ley brokered a deal to reunite the Coalition after a 17-day split, but faces a possible leadership spill by Angus Taylor’s supporters this week amid collapsing support for the Liberals and rising internal unrest. Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud announced the agreement on Sunday, confirming that all Nationals shadow ministers will return to their portfolios on 1 March after a suspension, and that both leaders will attend shadow cabinet and leadership meetings in the interim. The deal includes new written rules on shadow cabinet solidarity and confirms the joint party room’s authority over either party. Taylor, who endorsed the Coalition’s reunification on Sunday, is reportedly considering a leadership bid, with outlets like the AFR and The Guardian citing sources saying Ley’s backdown on suspension terms may have tipped more MPs into Taylor’s camp. Polls have shown a sharp decline in support for weeks, with the latest Newspoll recording the Coalition’s primary vote at 18% and support for One Nation surging to 27%. Ley’s net satisfaction dropped to -39 (the worst for a major party leader since 2003). An unnamed senior Liberal frontbencher told the AFR the chances of a challenge this week were “50:50”. But on Sunday, Ley insisted: “I am very confident of the overwhelming support of my party room.” (AFR)(SMH)(The Guardian)(The Australian)
