Japan's 64-year-old 'Iron Lady' a huge hit with young voters, who galvanized landslide victory in elections over the weekend

Sanae Takaichi made global headlines last October when she was elected to be Prime Minister of Japan, in no small part due to the fact that she has expressed her admiration for the late Margaret Thatcher, the longtime U.K. prime minister. During her campaign last year Takaichi said, "My goal is to become the Iron Lady," alluding to Thatcher's famous nickname. That nickname is now routinely applied to her.

Just three months into her term, Takaichi called snap elections, which were held over the weekend. The move was considered politically risky just 100 days into her term, but the result was a landslide victory that hands her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a supermajority in Japan's lower house of Parliament. 

Despite the name of her party, Takaichi campaigned on enacting a staunchly conservative agenda, which she will now be able to pursue with little or no interference from political opponents. Her party's 352 seats, a portion of which were won by a smaller party that aligns with the LDP, will be able to override the upper chamber of Parliament, according to The South China Morning Post, where she does not enjoy a majority. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, a groundswell of support from younger voters was crucial to the landslide victory. "Takaichi is striking a chord with younger voters in particular, who say they respect her outsider status and straight-talking, decisive style," the WSJ reported. Takaichi's popularity with younger voters appears to mirror the popularity President Donald Trump enjoyed from younger voters in the 2024 election. And Takaichi has been friendly to Trump since becoming prime minister, promising to increase Japan’s annual defense budget to 2% of its gross domestic product by March, a figure that would be double what Japan was spending on defense just four years ago. She's expected to visit Trump at the White House in mid-March, and strengthen Japan's ties with the U.S..

Until then, Takaichi will have unprecedented freedom to begin pursuing a conservative agenda in Japan. Her political victory over the weekend was so overwhelming, and devastating for opposing parties, that media in Japan are reporting "Sanae Mania" has swept the nation. Videos posted on social media showed thousands of supporters gathered in the streets of Tokyo, during a major cold snap, to watch Takaichi deliver a victory speech.

President Trump congratulated Takaichi on the resounding victory in a post on Truth Social. "It was my Honor to Endorse you and your Coalition. I wish you Great Success in passing your Conservative, Peace Through Strength Agenda," Trump said. "The wonderful people of Japan, who voted with such enthusiasm, will always have my strong support."

For more on "Sane Mania" and what it means for Japan and its allies, watch the report from CNBC International below.