Japan’s Lower House Dissolved for General Election

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan dissolved its House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of this year’s ordinary parliamentary session Friday. The government plans to hold the Lower House general election on Feb. 8, with the official campaign period set to kick off on Tuesday. The 16-day campaign period will be the shortest in the country’s post-World War II period. This was the first time in 60 years for the Lower House to be dissolved at the start of an ordinary Diet session. It will be the first national election under the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, which replaced Komeito as the LDP’s ally in October last year. It will also be the first general election since the one in October 2024 held under then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Takaichi’s predecessor. The focus of the upcoming poll is whether the LDP-JIP camp will maintain its Lower House majority. As part of their election pledges, both the LDP and the Centrist Reform Alliance, a new party launched by Komeito and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, call for lowering the 8 pct consumption tax rate to zero for food products. Another major election issue will be policies related to foreign nationals in Japan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]