Japan Stocks Soar After Takaichi's Victory; Alberta Eyes US

Japanese stocks surged to a record high on Monday following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) securing a historic election victory. The LDP won 316 out of 465 seats in Sunday's election, marking the first time a single party has won a two-thirds lower house majority since Japan's parliament was established in its current form in 1947, according to BBC World and BBC Business.

The Nikkei 225 briefly surpassed 57,000 for the first time after the election, according to BBC World and BBC Business. The LDP's coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, won in 36 more constituencies, bringing their combined total to 352 seats. This resounding mandate was a significant development, as reported by BBC World and BBC Business.

In other news, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado announced on Monday that one of her closest allies, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was kidnapped hours after being released from prison. According to The Guardian, Guanipa was taken from a residential neighborhood in Caracas by heavily armed men.

Meanwhile, The Guardian also reported on the ongoing separatist movements in Canada. While Quebec parties have long sought independence, the push for Alberta to join the US is a new peril. Meetings with foreign officials perceived to be sympathetic to their cause have been branded treasonous by some, according to The Guardian.