Overview
- Japanese media report the prime minister will tell senior LDP leaders she intends to dissolve the chamber on January 23, setting up a snap election targeted for February 8 or February 15 after a short campaign period.
- The cabinet has set January 23 as the start of the regular Diet session, and broadcasters say meetings with ruling parties are being coordinated to explain the plan.
- Motivation cited by outlets includes a cabinet approval rating near 70 percent and a bid to expand the ruling bloc’s slim lower-house majority, with the coalition still short in the upper house.
- Coverage says the compressed timetable is designed to limit disruption to debate on the fiscal 2026 budget, a record ¥122.3 trillion package the government wants enacted quickly.
- Top spokesman Minoru Kihara declined to confirm the reports, while context includes the LDP’s new partnership with the Japan Innovation Party after a split with Komeito and cooler ties with China following Takaichi’s Taiwan comments.