Japan’s PM Takaichi Calls Snap Election Three Months Into Office

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has announced plans to dissolve parliament and hold a snap general election, just three months after taking office, as she seeks a fresh mandate to pursue sweeping policy changes.

Takaichi said on Monday that she will dissolve the lower house of parliament, the Diet, on Friday, paving the way for elections scheduled for February 8. The move is aimed at securing voter backing and a majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives, according to reports by The Guardian and the Financial Times.

Speaking at a press conference, the prime minister said she was prepared to stake her leadership on the outcome. “I am putting my future as prime minister on the line,” Takaichi said. “I want the people to decide directly whether they can entrust the management of the country to me.”

As part of her campaign platform, Takaichi announced plans to suspend sales tax on food for two years, lower Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio and strengthen social security, alongside other measures aimed at stimulating economic growth.

Japan’s first female prime minister had reportedly been considering a snap election for weeks, with advisers urging her to capitalise on strong approval ratings to secure a clearer majority for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Although the conservative, nationalist LDP has dominated Japanese politics for decades, it has struggled in recent elections and currently governs through a fragile coalition with the populist Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Together, the coalition controls 233 seats in the lower house.

Since assuming office in October, Takaichi has pursued an expansionary economic agenda, including abolishing the provisional gasoline tax rate and increasing the threshold for non-taxable income, in a bid to revitalise the Japanese economy.