Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will dissolve the lower house on Jan. 23, with official campaigning from Jan. 27 and voting on Feb. 8, marking a 16‑day sprint that is the shortest postwar lower house race.
- Takaichi framed the vote as a mandate test and said she would take responsibility if she fails, as the LDP and its Japan Innovation Party ally rush to finalize pledges including a temporary zero sales tax on food.
- The CDPJ said 144 of its 148 lower‑house members will join the Centrist Reform Alliance with Komeito, which is finishing transfer procedures, with formal launch expected as early as Thursday.
- The new alliance expects to field more than 200 candidates, including 25 to 29 from Komeito, after the CDPJ drew 173 applications for single‑seat constituencies over the weekend.
- The Democratic Party for the People is pursuing an independent course and may revisit its cooperation with the LDP on the fiscal 2026 budget, though one DPFP lawmaker signaled a switch to run under the new alliance.