Japan PM Takaichi Mulling Snap Election

Tokyo, Jan. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering the idea of dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap election, informed sources said Monday. The lower chamber of the Diet, her country’s parliament, is likely to be dissolved at the start of the ordinary Diet session from Jan. 23, the Takaichi administration sources said. The candidacy filings marking the beginning of the official campaign period for the general election are expected for Jan. 27 or Feb. 3, and the voting day for Feb. 8 or 15. Takaichi is expected to make a final decision after assessing the reactions of ruling and opposition parties and public opinion while engaging in diplomatic events over the week from Tuesday. She apparently hopes to strengthen her grip on power to push her policy agenda by winning the election, especially as the ruling coalition of her Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party lacks a majority in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber. The lower chamber was last dissolved in October 2024, shortly after Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, took office as prime minister. Media opinion polls show high public support for the cabinet of Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister. This week, Takaichi is scheduled to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday. “In view of diplomatic protocol, it would be unlikely (that an announcement on the Lower House dissolution would be made) while foreign leaders are staying in our country,” a senior Japanese government official said. The ruling camp holds only a slim majority of 233 seats in the 465-member Lower House, while in the upper chamber, it is a minority force. Amid the divided parliament, the Takaichi administration lacks stable political foundations. Within the LDP, some members support an early dissolution, arguing that the public approval ratings for her cabinet would drop if it comes under attack from opposition parties in Diet deliberations on the government’s draft budget for fiscal 2026. Meanwhile, others are concerned, saying that a February election would make it effectively impossible to enact the budget by the end of fiscal 2025 through March, contradicting Takaichi’s pledge to combat persisting inflation quickly. “Public opinion about the dissolution is worse than expected,” an LDP member said. Last month, Takaichi agreed with Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, to pass the budget by the end of this fiscal year. But speaking in Takamatsu, western Japan, on Monday, Tamaki said that his party may need to review its stance if Takaichi goes ahead with the Lower House dissolution idea. With the political situation shifting, plans to establish a national conference to discuss social security reforms within this month, another key pledge made by Takaichi, are also likely to be affected. Takaichi is expected to take into account reactions of opposition parties in making her final decision on the possible general election. On Monday, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Tetsuo Saito, who heads Komeito, a former ally of the LDP, held a meeting in Tokyo and agreed to enhance cooperation in the next general election. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]