Japan’s PM calls snap election after 3 months in office
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of parliament, paving the way for early elections on February 8.
The move is an attempt to capitalize on his popularity to help the ruling party regain ground after major losses in recent years.
But that will delay a vote on the budget, which aims to stimulate a struggling economy and address rising prices.
Takaichi, who was elected as Japan’s first female leader in October, has been in office for only three months but has enjoyed a strong approval rating of nearly 70 percent.
Takaichi has also seen hostility towards China grow since he made pro-Taiwan statements.
And US President Donald Trump wants him to spend more on weapons as Washington and Beijing seek military superiority in the region.
The dissolution of the 465-member lower house paves the way for a 12-day campaign that officially begins Tuesday.
Takaichi’s early election plan aims to expand his ruling majority in the lower house, the most powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament.
The scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition have a slim majority in the lower house after an election loss in 2024.
The coalition does not have a majority in the upper house and relies on votes from opposition members to pass its agenda.
Opposition leaders criticized Takaichi for delaying the passage of the budget needed to finance basic economic measures.
“I believe the only option is for the people, as sovereign citizens, to decide whether Sanae Takaichi will be prime minister,” he told a news conference Monday as he announced his election plans.
“I’m risking my career as prime minister.”
Takaichi, a staunch conservative, wants to highlight his differences with his centrist predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.
Takaichi emphasizes that voters should consider fiscal spending moves, greater military build-up and tougher immigration policies to make Japan “strong and prosperous.”
Although its optimistic and determined image has won strong approval, especially among young people, the LDP remains unpopular as it recovers from the political funding scandal.
Many traditional LDP voters turned to emerging far-right populist opposition parties such as the anti-globalization Sanseito.
Meanwhile, Japan has faced rising tensions with China following comments by Takaichi suggesting Japan could step in if China took military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.
Furious, China stepped up economic and diplomatic revenge.
Trump has pressured Japan to spend more on defense, while Takaichi wants to further military build-up and spending increases.
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