Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on her “decisive victory” after her ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a commanding supermajority in a snap election earlier in the day.
“Israel highly values its partnership with Japan and looks forward to deepening our cooperation across all fields and strengthening the close ties between our countries,” tweeted Jerusalem’s top diplomat.
Congratulations to Prime Minister @takaichi_sanae on your decisive victory in the elections.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) February 8, 2026
Israel highly values its partnership with Japan and looks forward to deepening our cooperation across all fields and strengthening the close ties between our countries. 🇮🇱🇯🇵
The party of Japan’s first-ever female prime minister won 316 of 465 seats in the lower house, giving it a standalone two‑thirds supermajority, while the broader ruling coalition with the Japan Innovation Party secured 352 seats.
Takaichi, 64, is seen as a staunchly pro-Western conservative who wants to deepen Japan’s security alignment with the United States and other democracies and has been viewed in Israel as sympathetic to its position in the Middle East.
Sa’ar welcomed Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to Israel on Jan. 11, which followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting on Jan. 6 with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers at his office in Jerusalem.
In October, Sa’ar congratulated Takaichi on her “historic election.”
“We look forward to further deepening the partnership between Japan and Israel across various fields and building a prosperous and secure future for both our nations,” he tweeted at the time.
Sa’ar paid a visit to Tokyo in May, marking the first official trip by an Israeli foreign minister to the country in 15 years.
