Takaichi to Officially Announce Plan to Hold General Election

Tokyo, Jan. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold a press conference on Monday evening to officially announce her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives when the Diet convenes for an ordinary session on Friday. This will be the first Lower House dissolution since October 2024. In the subsequent general election, Takaichi will seek voter support for her “responsible and proactive” fiscal policy, as well as for the new ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party. Also on Monday, the Centrist Reform Alliance, a new party formed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, the former coalition partner of the LDP, will release its mission statement at 10 a.m. and its basic policies at 3 p.m. The opposition camp criticizes Takaichi’s plan to hold a general election so soon, arguing that it aims to benefit her party while ignoring the public. CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda has said that the plan lacks a proper purpose. At Monday’s press conference, Takaichi is expected to explain her reasoning for holding a general election, as well as how many Lower House seats the ruling bloc aims to win. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]