TOKYO, Jan 19 – Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold a press conference at 6 p.m. on Monday, her office said, likely to explain her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives later this week for a snap general election, as she aims to strengthen the foundation of her government.
If Takaichi dissolves the lower chamber on Friday, soon after the ordinary parliament session begins, voting is expected to be held on Feb. 8, with official campaigning to start Jan. 27, according to senior members of the ruling parties.
The election would be the first since Takaichi became the nation’s first female prime minister on Oct. 21 and since her Liberal Democratic Party signed a coalition deal with the Japan Innovation Party the day before.
In the election, Takaichi will hope to capitalize on high approval ratings for her Cabinet to seek a public mandate for what she terms her “responsible yet aggressive” fiscal stance and the new framework of the ruling coalition.
The snap poll is set to be held less than a year and a half after the previous lower house election in October 2024. Under Japan’s Constitution, members of the lower house serve four-year terms unless it is dissolved.
Last week, Takaichi told senior members from the ruling parties of her plan to dissolve the lower house “at an early stage” after the 150-day regular Diet session convenes next Friday.
Takaichi’s government has struggled with parliamentary management as the LDP-led bloc holds only a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber and remains a minority in the House of Councillors, requiring it to cooperate with opposition parties to pass bills.
To battle the conservative ruling camp, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Komeito party, a former longtime LDP ally, agreed Thursday to form the Centrist Reform Alliance, which would be the largest opposition force, for the upcoming contest.
Opposition parties have criticized Takaichi’s plan to call an early election, saying she is putting political considerations ahead of parliamentary enactment of the initial budget for fiscal 2026 starting in April, despite her pledge to prioritize policy implementation. – Kyodo News Agency
