Japan to hold snap general election on 8 February after PM Takaichi dissolves parliament

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives on Monday. This move triggers a snap general election scheduled for 8 February, the first day of the current parliamentary session.

Kyodo News reported that the government finalised the decision to dissolve the lower house last Friday. Speaking at a press conference, Takaichi explained that she is seeking a fresh mandate from the public. By calling the vote, she is linking her political future to the election’s outcome. Official campaigning will begin on 27 January.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Takaichi explained that she is seeking a renewed public mandate, effectively tethering her political future to the outcome of the upcoming vote. Senior ruling party officials said polling will likely take place on 8 February, following the official start of the campaign period on 27 January, Kyodo News reported.

This election represents the first major popular test for Takaichi since she broke barriers as Japan's first female prime minister on 21 October. It also marks the debut electoral challenge for the governing alliance formed just one day before her inauguration between her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP).

Takaichi seeks to capitalise on her administration's high public approval to validate her “responsible yet aggressive” approach to fiscal management and the newly established coalition structure, Kyodo News reported.

This snap poll arrives less than a year and a half after the previous lower house contest in October 2024. While representatives normally serve four-year terms under the Constitution, the prime minister has the power to dissolve the House of Representatives early.

In response, opposition groups have united.

Last Thursday, the Constitutional Democratic Party and its former LDP partner, Komeito, established the Centrist Reform Alliance, now the largest opposition bloc. These forces have attacked Takaichi’s timing, arguing she is prioritising political gain over the 2026 fiscal budget despite her claims of being policy-focused.

Many opposition parties have also proposed cutting the consumption tax, at a time when concern over Japan's fiscal health is pushing bond yields to multi-decade highs.

Japan levies an 8% consumption tax on food and a 10% levy on other goods and services, helping to fund rising social welfare costs among a rapidly ageing population.

Takaichi said that a two-year exemption of the 8% food levy will cushion the blow to households from rising living costs.

“We will overhaul past economic and fiscal policy. My administration will put an end to an excessively tight fiscal policy and a lack of investment for the future,” Takaichi told the press conference.