Japan PM Takaichi announces dissolution of lower house, calls snap election

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced her decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, the lower house in the National Diet, paving the way for a snap general election on the opening day of the current ordinary parliamentary session, Kyodo News reported. The decision to dissolve the lower house was taken on Friday.

Addressing a press conference today, Takaichi said she intends to seek a fresh mandate from voters and has staked her continuation as prime minister on the election outcome. According to senior leaders of the ruling parties, polling is expected on February 8, with the official election campaign beginning on January 27, as reported by Kyodo News.

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The proposed election will be the first since Takaichi assumed office as Japan’s first woman prime minister on October 21. It will also be the first electoral test since her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) entered into a coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) a day earlier.

Takaichi is aiming to leverage her Cabinet’s strong approval ratings to secure public backing for what she has described as a “responsible yet aggressive” fiscal policy approach, along with the newly formed ruling coalition framework, Kyodo News reported.

The snap poll comes less than 18 months after the previous lower house election held in October 2024. Under Japan’s Constitution, members of the House of Representatives serve four-year terms unless the chamber is dissolved earlier.

Last week, Takaichi had informed senior ruling party figures of her intention to dissolve the lower house “at an early stage” after the 150-day regular Diet session convenes next Friday, Kyodo News reported.

Her administration has faced difficulties in managing parliament, as the LDP-led bloc holds only a narrow majority in the lower house and lacks a majority in the House of Councillors, the upper house in the Diet, making cooperation with opposition parties necessary to pass legislation.

Meanwhile, opposition forces have moved to consolidate ahead of the election. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former long-time LDP ally, agreed on Thursday to form the Centrist Reform Alliance, which is set to become the largest opposition grouping in the contest, Kyodo News reported.

Opposition parties have criticised Takaichi’s decision to call an early election, accusing her of prioritising political calculations over the passage of the fiscal 2026 initial budget, despite her stated commitment to focus on policy implementation. (ANI)