(Update) Japan’s Lower House Dissolved for Feb. 8 Election

(The second sentence of the second paragraph contained a wrong explanation about the campaign period. The sentence should have read, “The election will take place 16 days after the Lower House dissolution, the shortest such period since the end of World War II.” A substitute story follows.) Japan’s Lower House Dissolved for Feb. 8 Election Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan dissolved its House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of an ordinary parliamentary session Friday. At a cabinet meeting later, the government decided to hold the Lower House general election on Feb. 8, with the official campaign period set to kick off on Tuesday. The election will take place 16 days after the Lower House dissolution, the shortest such period since the end of World War II. 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 held in October 2024 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. Takaichi, who heads the LDP, considers the upcoming election an opportunity to ask for the people’s confidence over the party’s partnership with the JIP. She also seeks public support for her administration’s policies, such as what she calls a “responsible and proactive” public finances. Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the Centrist Reform Alliance, plan to highlight their counterproposals to the government’s measures to tackle soaring prices. They are also poised to criticize the LDP for endorsing candidates involved in its high-profile slush fund scandal. Aiming to underscore the issue of money and politics, the opposition side is seen calling for stronger restrictions on political donations by companies or other organizations. In the election, parties will compete for 289 seats allocated to single-seat constituencies and 176 seats under the proportional representation system. Takaichi views 233 seats, the minimum required for a majority, as the dividing line between election success and failure for the ruling camp. She has said she will stake her fate as prime minister to the election outcome. Takaichi, who became prime minister last October, aims to further strengthen her political foundations by taking advantage of high public approval ratings for her cabinet. The Centrist Reform Alliance, formed just before the Lower House dissolution, hopes to win support from voters critical of the administration. Attention will also likely be on other opposition parties, such as the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]