Japan’s Nikkei hits record high and yen strengthens after Takaichi’s election win – business live

2026-02-09 - 07:45

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news Sanae Takaichi’s conservatives cement power in landslide Japan election win Asia-Pacific markets are rallying across the board today, as traders anticipate a boost from a new fiscal spending programme. South Korea’s KOSPI has surged by 4.4%, outpaced the Japanese Nikkei’s 3.9% rise. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng has gained 1.75%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 is 1.85% higher. The good news is that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won — and won big — her bet in the weekend snap election. She pulled off a stunning victory, with her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) scoring a historic landslide and securing a two-thirds supermajority in the powerful lower house of parliament — even more if you include its coalition partner. That gives her party its most dominant position in decades and a strong mandate to push through an expansive fiscal agenda, particularly benefiting defense and technology. This likely helps explain why South Korea’s Kospi rebounded nearly 4% today. Still, the tech rebound could face speed bumps ahead. Continue reading...