Japan’s new PM Takaichi eyes parliament dissolution for snap polls: Report

Country’s archetypal pistillate premier curate hopes a bigger bulk volition assistance her instrumentality her governmental and fiscal agenda.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has conveyed to a governing enactment enforcement her volition to dissolve parliament’s little location adjacent week, according to the Kyodo quality agency, little than 3 months into her tenure.

Citing a source, Kyodo reported connected Tuesday that Takaichi plans to state the dissolution of parliament astatine the opening of the regular league of the Diet connected January 23.

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The determination volition pave the mode for drawback elections successful the world’s fourth-largest economy, with Takaichi’s once-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) hoping to summation its parliamentary seats.

An aboriginal predetermination connected the backmost of the Takaichi cabinet’s precocious support standing could assistance boost the bulk held by the ruling conjugation of the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party successful the little house, Kyodo reported.

On Friday, the Yomiuri Shimbun paper besides reported that Takaichi was considering dissolving the little enclosure connected January 17 for a drawback predetermination connected February 8 oregon 15.

Takaichi hopes a bigger bulk volition assistance her instrumentality her docket of much “proactive” fiscal spending and stronger quality capacities, the Yomiuri said.

Takaichi, the country’s archetypal pistillate premier minister, has truthful acold remained mum successful nationalist astir calling an aboriginal wide election.

The ruling conjugation and the LDP person yet to remark connected the report.

On Monday, NHK News reported that leaders of the Japanese absorption parties Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito person agreed to “explore ways to enactment much intimately together” to antagonistic Takaichi’s conjugation successful the lawsuit of drawback polls.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, escorts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung astatine the commencement of their gathering successful Nara, Japan, January 13, 2026 [Issei Kato/Pool via AFP]

Meanwhile, the person of the Democratic Party for the People, Tamaki Yuichiro, warned that dissolving the little location earlier the fund for the adjacent fiscal twelvemonth is passed would mean the authorities of Takaichi putting the system connected the backmost burner.

NHK reported that Takaichi is expected to marque her last determination connected drawback elections portion taking into relationship her diplomatic schedule.

On Tuesday, the premier curate hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung successful her hometown of Nara to sermon the 2 nations’ information and economical ties.

Tokyo shares jumped much than 3 percent connected Tuesday connected speculation that Takaichi volition telephone drawback elections to capitalise connected beardown canvass numbers.

A wide mandate for Takaichi and the LDP could besides assistance interruption the deadlock successful a diplomatic spat with China, according to Yomiuri.

Ties person deteriorated since Takaichi suggested successful November that Japan could intervene militarily if China ever launched an onslaught connected Taiwan, the self-ruled land it claims.

Beijing has announced a wide prohibition connected the export to Japan of “dual-use” goods with imaginable subject applications, and has reportedly been choking disconnected exports of rare-earth products important for making everything from electrical cars to missiles.

Last month, Takaichi said she was “always open” to dialog with China.

Japan past held wide elections successful October 2024, successful which the LDP mislaid its majority nether the enactment of Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.

Ishiba was aboriginal forced to resign, paving the mode for the historical predetermination of Takaichi arsenic premier curate successful October 2025.