Japan is voting in their early snap elections on Sunday, in which members to 465 seats in the country's House of Representatives will be chosen.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the country's National Diet.
The elections are being held four months after Sanae Takaichi took over as Japan's Prime Minister. Her premiership began once she won the presidential elections of the Democratic Party and became the chief of the Liberal Democratic Party–Ishin coalition.
Exit polls:
All exit polls have predicted a decisive victory for the LDP-Ishin alliance. The Japanese public broadcaster NHK's opinion poll predicts 302-366 seats for Takaichi's alliance. The opposition are projected to get 73-167 seats.
Date of results:
Voting for the Japan general elections will end at 8 pm (local time) on Sunday, while results will be announced at around noon on Monday, 9 February, as per the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
How experts are reacting to a potential Takaichi win:
Chris Scicluna, Head of Research at Daiwa Capital Markets Europe, told Reuters, "The stock market is a true believer in Takaichi, so the big win is going to be good news for equities when the markets open on Monday."
Jesper Koll, Expert Director at Tokyo's Monex Group told the news agency, "Takaichi got the clear mandate from the people she needed to get the LDP exactly where she wants it — in the palm of her hand and beholden to her. She is the indisputable boss and now controls both parliament and the ruling party."
"What will she do with this supermajority? On economic policy the key focus will be to promote Japan national champions. To promote both global competitiveness and national economic security, Japan needs better economies of scale," Koll added.
Takaichi to push right-wing policies if she wins
Takaichi, who took office in October as the first female prime minister of Japan, will want to take up her right-wing agenda once she comes back with a decisive mandate, in order to boost the country's economic as well as military capabilities, as per a report by the Associated Press.
She has pledged to move away from Japan's post-war pacifist ways and increase defence capabilities as well as lift a ban on weapons exports.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more updates.
