TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the parliament on Friday, paving the way for an early electionscheduled on Feb. 8.The speaker of Japan’s parliament on Friday read out a letter, officially dissolving the 465-member lower house as lawmakers shouted the traditional rallying cry of “banzai” (long live).The dissolution of the lower house now paves the way for a 12-day election campaign, which officially begins on Tuesday.The move is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help the governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but it will delay parliamentary approval for a budget that aims at boosting a struggling economy and addressing soaring prices.Takaichi, elected in October as Japan’s first female leader, has been in office only three months, but she has seen strong approval ratings of about 70%.Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said key election issues for the campaign will be to tackle rising prices for consumers as well as security issues amid rising tension with China.Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party could still face some challenges as it reels from a series of scandals about corruption and the party’s past ties to the Unification Church. But it’s not clear if the new opposition Centrist Reform Alliance can attract moderate voters, while opposition parties are still too splintered to a pose a serious threat to the LDP.Takaichi is also seeing rising animosity with China, since making remarks on Taiwan. And U.S. President Donald Trump wants her to spend more on weapons, as Washington and Beijing pursue military superiority in the region.Takaichi’s plan for an early election aims to capitalize on her popularity to win a governing majority in the lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament called the National Diet.“It’s not clear if high public support for the Takaichi cabinet will actually lead to support of the LDP,” said Hidehiro Yamamoto, a politics professor at the University of Tsukuba.“What the public are concerned about is measures to address inflation,” he told the AFP news agency.The scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition had a slim majority in the lower House after an election loss in 2024. The coalition lacks a majority in the upper House of Councillors and relies on winning votes from opposition members to pass its agenda.Opposition leaders criticized Takaichi for delaying passage of a budget needed to fund key economic measures.“I believe that the only option is for the people, as sovereign citizens, to decide whether Sanae Takaichi should be prime minister,” she told a news conference Monday when announcing plans for the election. “I’m staking my career as prime minister” on it.Takaichi, a hard-line conservative, wants to highlight differences with her centrist predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.Takaichi stresses that voters need to judge her fiscal spending moves, further military buildup and tougher immigration policies to make Japan “strong and prosperous.”Her party is also vowing tougher immigration rules and restrictions on foreigners living in Japan to address growing anti-foreign sentiment. Meanwhile, Japan faces escalating tensions with China after Takaichi made remarks suggesting that Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. A furious China has increased economic and diplomatic retribution.Takaichi wants to push further a military buildup and spending increases, while Trump has pressured Japan to spend more on defense. — AgenciesTOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the parliament on Friday, paving the way for an early electionscheduled on Feb. 8.The speaker of Japan’s parliament on Friday read out a letter, officially dissolving the 465-member lower house as lawmakers shouted the traditional rallying cry of “banzai” (long live).The dissolution of the lower house now paves the way for a 12-day election campaign, which officially begins on Tuesday.The move is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help the governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but it will delay parliamentary approval for a budget that aims at boosting a struggling economy and addressing soaring prices.Takaichi, elected in October as Japan’s first female leader, has been in office only three months, but she has seen strong approval ratings of about 70%.Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said key election issues for the campaign will be to tackle rising prices for consumers as well as security issues amid rising tension with China.Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party could still face some challenges as it reels from a series of scandals about corruption and the party’s past ties to the Unification Church. But it’s not clear if the new opposition Centrist Reform Alliance can attract moderate voters, while opposition parties are still too splintered to a pose a serious threat to the LDP.Takaichi is also seeing rising animosity with China, since making remarks on Taiwan. And U.S. President Donald Trump wants her to spend more on weapons, as Washington and Beijing pursue military superiority in the region.Takaichi’s plan for an early election aims to capitalize on her popularity to win a governing majority in the lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament called the National Diet.“It’s not clear if high public support for the Takaichi cabinet will actually lead to support of the LDP,” said Hidehiro Yamamoto, a politics professor at the University of Tsukuba.“What the public are concerned about is measures to address inflation,” he told the AFP news agency.The scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition had a slim majority in the lower House after an election loss in 2024. The coalition lacks a majority in the upper House of Councillors and relies on winning votes from opposition members to pass its agenda.Opposition leaders criticized Takaichi for delaying passage of a budget needed to fund key economic measures.“I believe that the only option is for the people, as sovereign citizens, to decide whether Sanae Takaichi should be prime minister,” she told a news conference Monday when announcing plans for the election. “I’m staking my career as prime minister” on it.Takaichi, a hard-line conservative, wants to highlight differences with her centrist predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.Takaichi stresses that voters need to judge her fiscal spending moves, further military buildup and tougher immigration policies to make Japan “strong and prosperous.”Her party is also vowing tougher immigration rules and restrictions on foreigners living in Japan to address growing anti-foreign sentiment. Meanwhile, Japan faces escalating tensions with China after Takaichi made remarks suggesting that Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. A furious China has increased economic and diplomatic retribution.Takaichi wants to push further a military buildup and spending increases, while Trump has pressured Japan to spend more on defense. — Agencies
Japan PM dissolves parliament, paving way for early election
