Overview
- Government sources told Yomiuri the prime minister is considering dissolving the lower house at the Jan. 23 opening of the ordinary Diet session, with voting reportedly eyed for Feb. 8 or Feb. 15.
- Takaichi has framed an early vote as necessary to secure political stability for strong economic measures and robust diplomacy and security, with recent Yomiuri polls putting cabinet approval above 70%.
- The ruling camp’s lower-house standing is tight, with Yomiuri counting 233 seats for the LDP and Japan Innovation Party together, while some reports describe the bloc as a few seats short of a majority.
- A February contest would risk squeezing the fiscal 2026 budget timetable and could invite sustained opposition scrutiny, even as the government pursues strategic spending and institutional reforms.
- Tensions with China after Takaichi’s Taiwan-related Diet remarks—followed by travel warnings and export restrictions from Beijing—form part of the backdrop to seeking a renewed mandate.