Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve the lower house of parliament for a snap election shortly after the annual parliamentary session begins next week, officials from her ruling coalition confirmed on Wednesday.
“I was notified by Prime Minister Takaichi that she will dissolve the lower house at an early stage of the ordinary parliamentary session,” Hirofumi Yoshimura, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), told reporters. Yoshimura added that Takaichi intends to hold a news conference on Monday to elaborate on her decision.
Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, was appointed in October and currently enjoys a Cabinet approval rating of approximately 70 per cent. However, her ruling bloc holds only a narrow majority in the powerful lower house, limiting its capacity to push through her ambitious policy agenda.
On Wednesday, Takaichi also informed Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), about her plans. Suzuki told reporters that the upcoming election would partially serve as a public mandate on the newly formed LDP-JIP partnership, established after the LDP’s previous coalition partner, the Komeito party, withdrew last year.
The Komeito party ended its 26-year alliance with the LDP, citing the party’s failure to tighten funding rules following a high-profile slush fund scandal. It also expressed concern over Takaichi’s prior hardline statements on China and her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals.
If Takaichi dissolves the lower house on Jan 23, when the ordinary parliamentary session begins, media reports suggest the most likely election date would be Feb 8. By minimizing the gap between dissolution and the general election, Takaichi aims to limit disruptions to parliamentary debates over the government’s budget bill for the upcoming fiscal year, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Her Cabinet recently approved a record ¥122.3 trillion (US$768 billion) budget for the fiscal year starting April 2026. Takaichi has emphasized the need for swift parliamentary approval to tackle inflationary pressures and strengthen Japan’s economy, the world’s fourth largest.
Takaichi became Japan’s fifth prime minister in five years when she assumed office, initially leading a minority government. Her coalition with the JIP regained a lower-house majority in November after three lawmakers joined the LDP. Despite this, the ruling bloc remains a minority in the upper house.
Observers say Takaichi hopes an expanded lower-house majority will allow her to pursue more “proactive” fiscal spending and break the legislative deadlock on key foreign policy issues. Relations with China have cooled since Takaichi suggested last November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own.
Political analysts note that a snap election could also serve as a referendum on Takaichi’s leadership and the stability of the new LDP-JIP partnership. Her approach signals a calculated effort to consolidate power quickly, maintain momentum on domestic economic measures, and assert Japan’s position on the increasingly tense regional security stage.
As the announcement draws near, attention will focus on public and opposition response, particularly from parties critical of Takaichi’s fiscal policies and assertive stance toward China. The upcoming election is expected to test not only her popularity but also the resilience of Japan’s shifting political alliances.
