Navigating Japan-U.S. relations after the ‘blue tsunami’

The 2026 U.S. midterms showed that Japan can no longer take Republican influence for granted and must adapt to a Washington in which Democrats hold significant power. | REUTERS

Nov 6, 2026

Washington – The “blue wave” that was predicted for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections proved to be a massive tsunami.

The landslide exceeded the hopes of even the most optimistic Democrats, who had expected to win a majority in the House of Representatives but were uncertain about the Senate. And Democrats won a majority of state governorships for the first time in 16 years.

​The Japanese leadership may be surprised and disappointed by the outcome, given their long-standing ties with and preference for Republicans. Many Republicans and their Japanese friends had predicted that Republicans would prevail in the 2026 midterms and in the presidential election of 2028. But they failed to fully understand several facts about the United States.

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