Japanese stocks surged to a record high on Monday following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) securing a historic election victory, while the U.S. Justice Department faced staffing challenges and a deadline loomed for Department of Homeland Security funding. The Nikkei 225 briefly surpassed 57,000 for the first time after the election, according to BBC World and BBC Business. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the Christchurch shooter sought to overturn his guilty plea.
The LDP secured 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, reported BBC World. The Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's coalition partner, won in 36 more constituencies, bringing their combined total to 352 seats. This resounding mandate fueled the surge in the stock market.
Across the Pacific, the U.S. Justice Department struggled to recruit prosecutors, with the department losing approximately 8 percent of its workforce between November 2024 and November 2025, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management, as reported by The New York Times. A former chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi posted an online help wanted sign, reflecting the challenges in attracting new staff.
Simultaneously, talks on immigration enforcement remained stalled as a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security approached, The New York Times reported. Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer to a deal, with Senator John Fetterman stating on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" that he expected a government shutdown. Democrats have demanded new restrictions on immigration enforcement operations, including barring immigration officers from wearing masks and mandating warrants for entering private property, following the killings of two American citizens by federal immigration officers in Minnesota last month.
In New Zealand, the Christchurch shooter, who killed 51 people at two mosques, appeared in court to attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, according to BBC World. The Australian Brenton Tarrant, serving a life sentence without parole, initially denied the charges but changed his plea a year after the March 2019 attack. The 35-year-old, who also admitted one count of terrorism, has now launched an appeal, filed out of time.
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