As Japan’s Takaichi eyes big election win, will China stance shift?

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears set for a landslide victory in a coming election and is expected to maintain her stoic stance on China but without escalating tensions further, with observers noting Beijing would still be unlikely to engage her administration in the near term.Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is on track to win more than the 233 seats needed for a majority in the country’s Lower House election on Sunday, according to an Asahi Shimbun newspaper survey released last weekend.Along with its coalition partner Nippon Ishin, or the Japan-innovation-party" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="10718" data-entity-type="organization">Japan Innovation Party, the ruling coalition is likely to secure more than 300 spots in the 465-seat legislature – an increase from its current 198.The survey also found that the approval rating for Takaichi’s cabinet stood at 57 per cent.The largest opposition party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, is struggling and could lose half of its 167 seats, according to the Asahi.04:47Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent China-Japan ties into a tailspin?Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent China-Japan ties into a tailspin?Last month, Takaichi dissolved parliament and called a snap election to seek a mandate.