Overview
- Government discussions center on two timetables: a Jan. 27 proclamation with Feb. 8 voting or a Feb. 3 proclamation with Feb. 15 voting.
- CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda met Komeito’s Tetsuo Saito on Jan. 12 to request cooperation for the next election, and both agreed to examine higher-level coordination.
- Komeito will quickly decide whether to field single-seat candidates and whether those bids would be dual-listed with proportional representation.
- Party leaders said concrete district-level arrangements will be handled by executives, and they shared the view that a political vacuum should be avoided if dissolution occurs.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to make a final call after meetings with visiting leaders this week, as officials note an announcement is unlikely during foreign dignitaries’ stays, while opponents question the justification and the National Democratic Party signals it may revisit a budget deal.