Polls have suggested she is on course to win the election after pledging changes to her party, which has held power for decades, and shore up her mandate to govern the country. The LDP has been struggling with collapsing support and scandals, and it is hoped that a sizable win for Ms Takaichi could revitalise the party.
Speaking at a rally last week Ms Takaichi said: “Hope can’t be born from a politics that has remained hunkered down and defensive for decades.” She has been highly critical of her own party’s track record throughout the campaign, attacking its under-investment in the economy and launching scathing criticisms of Japanese companies spending money overseas.
Dubbed Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ she is seen as a hard-right figure within Japanese politics. Her stance has prompted critics, such as Yoshihiko Noda, the co-leader of the CRA. Speaking at a rally in Tokyo they said “people need to think about what comes next after the wild enthusiasm” for Ms Takaichi.
She has stated in the past she would change the nation’s pacifistic constitution, and has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump. Ms Takaichi has drawn scrutiny for her position on several social issues, which include her opposition to same-sex marriage, and to female succession to the Japanese throne.
She is a member of the Nippon Kaigi organisation, which was itself criticised for holding revisionist views of Japanese conduct during World War Two. Ms Takaichi herself has made several visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates those who died in service of Japan.
Entering the election the LDC held 199 of the 465 seats in the lower house and was in coalition with the Japan Innovation Party. Two-thirds of the seats will be elected through single-seat districts with the remainder topped up through proportional representation.