Sanae Takaichi's snap election sends Japan to the polls in just 16 days

The prime minister announced the early dissolution of the lower house, elected in October 2024. The next election is set for 8 February. She explicitly asked voters to give her a strong mandate. Initial polls are mixed: half of voters did not want an early vote, but few consider the new centrist alliance formed by the two main opposition parties a serious challenger.

Tokyo (AsiaNews) – In a widely expected move, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi officially announced at a press conference today that this Friday (23 January), opening day of this year's ordinary session, she will dissolve the lower house of the Japanese diet (parliament), with elections to be held on 8 February.

This leaves only 16 days for campaigning before a vote that is shaping up to be a referendum on the new prime minister, who took office on 21 October.

As the country's first female prime minister, Takaichi is counting on a snap election to strengthen the ruling coalition between the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LPD), which she has led since her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, quit.

Currently, the two coalition partners enjoy a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the diet. Takaichi is aiming to use an early vote to capitalise on the personal support that polls indicate she has in the country to strengthen the government majority.

“I would like to ask people to make a direct judgment on whether they should entrust me with running the nation," she said, noting that voters cannot directly pick the prime minister in Japan’s parliamentary system.

Considered a fiscal dove, she promised to end “excessive austerity,” while underscoring her commitment to Japan’s long-term sustainability, saying she would establish “clear and objective benchmarks” to strengthen market confidence in public finances.

She also proposed a two-year tax holiday on food, to alleviate rising living costs.

Next month’s election comes less than a year and a half after the previous vote in October 2024.

Under the Japanese constitution, representatives serve four-year terms, unless the house is dissolved earlier.

The 16-day period between the house’s dissolution and election day will be the shortest in the postwar era, a fact harshly criticised by the opposition, which accuses Takaichi of putting her own political interests ahead of the country's priorities.

Increasingly shorter election campaigns have been a clear trend in recent years in Japan. In 2017, the period between the dissolution of the house and the actual election was 24 days, 17 days in 2021, and 18 days in 2024.

The initial reactions by Japanese voters to Takaichi's move appear mixed. In a poll published today by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, half of those surveyed say they are opposed to dissolving the lower house and calling early elections, while 52 per cent of those surveyed wanted the governing coalition to maintain its majority in the vote on 8 February.

Approximately 69 per cent of respondents do not consider the Centrist Reform Alliance, the new centrist opposition party formed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a serious challenger to the Takaichi government.

Young people make up a significant portion of the 36 per cent who support dissolving the lower house at present with two thirds of respondents aged 18 to 29 in favour.

But support declines with age, falling to 20 per cent among those over 70. When asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation bloc if the vote were held now, 34 per cent chose the Liberal Democratic Party, unchanged from last November.

Before the October 2024 elections, the LDP was expected to win 36 per cent. These numbers suggest that Takaichi's personal approval rating will not automatically translate into support for her party.

Asked about the government’s anti-inflation measures, 39 per cent of respondents approved of Takaichi's response, down from 46 per cent in December. Regarding foreign policy, however, 68 per cent positively assessed the government's performance, which has been characterised by strong opposition to China.

• japan
• election
• house of representatives
• sanae takaichi
• liberal democratic party
• ldp
• japan innovation party
• Ishida
• constitutional democratic party of japan
• komeito