Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's strong social media presence appears to have contributed to the Liberal Democratic Party's historic landslide victory in Japan's House of Representatives election. Her X account gained 35,000 followers during the campaign, with a sharp increase following her debate cancellation due to health issues. Viral posts from supporters amplified her appeal.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured a single-party majority in Japan's House of Representatives election on February 9, 2026, with the ruling coalition poised to win over 300 seats. A surge in social media interest in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is credited with fueling this historic landslide victory.
Takaichi's official X account gained about 35,000 followers during the campaign, outpacing other party leaders, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun analysis using data from User Local Inc. The largest single-day increase of around 10,300 followers occurred on February 1, the same day she abruptly canceled an appearance on an NHK debate program. In a post, she explained, “I have a chronic condition of rheumatoid arthritis, and my hand has become swollen,” attributing the injury to handshakes with supporters during campaigning. She received medical treatment but proceeded with stump speeches in Gifu and Aichi prefectures.
Posts criticizing Takaichi for supposedly dodging the debate proliferated on X afterward, but sympathetic responses were equally vocal. One viral post read, “Fleeing? Far from it. This is the price of her resolve to stay on the front lines,” garnering millions of views. While LDP's overall follower growth exceeded other parties, Takaichi's personal account saw the most dramatic shift in public attention.
On YouTube, election-related content featuring Takaichi achieved exceptional engagement. The LDP's official videos amassed over 200 million views from a week before campaigning officially began on January 27 until the day before the election. A standout advertisement where she declares, “The future is something we must forge with our own hands,” exceeded 150 million views. Tsukasa Tanihara, an associate professor of social informatics at Ritsumeikan University, noted, “With paid video ads, you cannot simply buy your way to high view counts,” attributing the figures to her personal popularity. Overall, election videos totaled about 1.86 billion views, with 80% from third-party creators, many highlighting Takaichi's firm debate performances against opposition leaders or her stance on China. Kunikazu Suzuki, editor-in-chief of Senkyo.com, observed, “Content creators seeking advertising revenue cashed in on Takaichi’s popularity by flooding the platform with videos, which ensured they reached a vast audience. This cycle likely played a key role in her landslide victory.”
A Yomiuri Shimbun exit poll with NHK and Nippon TV found that 24% of voters relied most on social media and video sites for their decisions, with 35% of this group voting LDP in proportional representation—up sharply from 7% in the previous upper house election. Support for parties like Sanseito and the Democratic Party for the People declined among this demographic. A 25-year-old office worker in Tokyo's Kita Ward said, “I could sense the prime minister’s devotion through the social media clips of her touring the country despite her chronic illness,” explaining his switch from a Democratic Party for the People vote last July to LDP this time. He acknowledged that daily exposure via algorithms fostered familiarity.
The election underscores how social media directly influenced voter turnout for the LDP.
