Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi dissolves parliament for a February 8 snap election, seeking a mandate for inflation relief and defence spending.
TOKYO: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will dissolve Japan’s parliament on Friday, calling a snap election for February 8.
The country’s first woman leader is seeking a public mandate for measures to counter rising living costs and boost defence spending.
Her ruling coalition holds only a slim majority in the powerful lower house.
Takaichi hopes high cabinet approval ratings will secure a stronger mandate, despite her Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) low popularity and recent scandals.
“It’s not clear if high public support for the Takaichi cabinet will actually lead to support of the LDP,” University of Tsukuba politics professor Hidehiro Yamamoto told AFP.
Public discontent over inflation contributed to the downfall of her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, last October.
Japan faces a surge in living costs and a chronically weak yen that makes imports more expensive.
The price of rice more than doubled in mid-2025 compared to a year earlier before easing recently.
Takaichi’s cabinet has approved a record 122.3 trillion yen (RM3.7 trillion) budget for the fiscal year starting April 2026 to address the economy.
Opponents argue dissolving parliament now risks delaying the budget’s passage.
“If elected, Takaichi has pledged to cut a sales tax on food for a two-year period to “alleviate the burden” on people struggling with inflation.
Her fiscal spending plans risk inflating Japan’s colossal public debt, expected to exceed 230% of GDP in 2025-26.
Prospects of tax cuts and massive stimulus have roiled bond markets, sending Japanese government bond yields soaring.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has formed a Centrist Reform Alliance with Komeito to draw swing voters.
Analysts say the election could be close but the opposition’s chances of winning remain slim.
The Takaichi government enjoys around 90% support among voters under 30, according to a late-December poll.
