TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party is likely to score a landslide victory in next week’s lower house election, a survey by the Asahi newspaper showed.
A strong showing in Sunday’s election would solidify Takaichi’s grip on her party and give her a mandate for her expansionary fiscal policy, which could heighten concerns about Japan’s finances and push bond yields higher.
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party is likely to well exceed a majority of 233 seats out of 465 seats up for grabs in the lower house, according to Asahi’s poll released on Sunday. That would be an increase from 198 seats now.
Together with LDP’s coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party or Ishin, the ruling alliance will likely reach 300 seats, the poll showed.
The largest opposition party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, is struggling and could lose half its 167 seats, the Asahi said.
Takaichi’s ruling coalition currently holds a slim majority in the powerful lower house but has a minority in the upper house.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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