Overview
- Japan’s cabinet has set Jan. 23 as the opening of the ordinary Diet session, and an LDP executive says the prime minister told party leaders she will dissolve the lower house soon after it convenes.
- Media reports point to official campaigning starting Jan. 27 and a likely Feb. 8 vote, with Feb. 15 under consideration, which would create the shortest dissolution-to-vote window since World War II.
- Takaichi’s ruling bloc holds only a slim lower-house majority, and JIP co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura says the coalition is targeting a majority without adjusting candidate slates.
- The government approved a record 122.3 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2026 and is weighing a temporary budget to bridge any delay caused by a snap poll.
- Opposition parties criticize the timing as distracting from rising living costs, while supporters say a stronger mandate could bolster policy execution, including on security after tensions with China cooled relations.