Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives has set expectations for a February election, with public notice reported as possibly coming as early as January 27.
- Election management offices in Kushiro and Nemuro say they are rushing to meet a “super short” campaign timetable and report confusion because the official schedule is not yet fixed.
- Deep winter conditions are already affecting logistics, with staff shifting planned poster display locations where snow piles block the usual sites.
- Kushiro Shinkin Bank and the Kushiro Tax Office launched an in-branch consultation corner to demonstrate cashless tax payments, aiming to cut paperwork and ease front‑desk congestion.
- Hokkaido police and mountain rescue teams are searching for seven people who reported getting lost while backcountry skiing outside the managed area near Furano Ski Resort, with no one found so far.