Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida led the ruling LDP to an unexpectedly strong election win, enabling him to solidify his status in a fractious party.
Stocks surged to a one-month high on relief the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held onto its single-party majority in defiance of predictions - although it did lose a handful of seats, including that of party secretary-general Akira Amari.
The results are likely to embolden Kishida, only in power a month and with little yet to show in terms of policy successes, allowing him to put his stamp on the office ahead of an upper house election next year.
Kishida, a soft-spoken former banker who has yet to stamp his mark on the premiership, has hewed to traditional policies of the party's right wing, pushing to increase military spending to counter a more assertive China.
He has also promised to address wealth inequality, touting a "new capitalism" as the world's third-largest economy struggles to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.
"The overall trend is in favour of stability. The LDP cleared the hurdles it absolutely had to," said Tobias Harris, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
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