STORY: Supporters applauded Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday, after her coalition swept to a landslide election win.
The victory paves the way for Takaichi's tax cuts that have spooked financial markets, and military spending aimed at countering China.
The 64-year-old called the rare, mid-winter snap election to capitalize on her high approval ratings after becoming Japan's first female prime minister late last year.
Voters have been drawn to her straight-talking, hardworking image.
"Takaichi has a slightly different vibe compared to what we have had so far in the political scene, so I'm feeling somewhat hopeful. That's why I voted."
But her nationalistic leanings and emphasis on security have strained ties with powerful neighbor China.
While her tax policies worry investors, as Japan carries the heaviest debt burden among advanced economies.
"There are so many issues piling up," this voter said. "Defense, food policy, social welfare, population issues, and the environment. It's overwhelming."
In less than two hours since polls closed, the conservative leader had already brought her Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, more than the 233 seats needed for a majority in parliament's lower house.
And with coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, Takaichi now has a supermajority of two-thirds of seats.
This means she can override the upper chamber, which she does not control, easing her legislative agenda.
The LDP, which has ruled for almost all of Japan's postwar history, had lost control of both houses in elections over the past 15 months under Takaichi's predecessor.
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U.S. President Donald Trump last week gave Takaichi his "total endorsement" and said he would host her at the White House next month.
China will also be keeping a close eye on the results.
