The vote will decide all 465 seats in the lower house of parliament and will be Takaichi’s first electoral test since becoming the country’s first female leader.
Published on January 19, 2026
Prime Minister of JapanSane used to throw She has said she will dissolve parliament and call a general election on Friday to win voter support for a spending plan and other policies.
The snap election announcement on Monday comes just three months into her tenure as the country’s first woman prime minister.
“Today, I, as prime minister, have decided to dissolve the lower house on January 23,” Takaichi told a news conference.
Snap voting on February 8 will decide all 465 seats in the lower house of parliament and will be Takaichi’s first electoral test since becoming prime minister.
Calling an early election would allow her to take advantage of strong public support to tighten her grip on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and increase her coalition’s fragile majority.
The election will test voters’ appetite for more spending at a time when rising living costs are a public concern. A poll released last week by public broadcaster NHK found 45% of respondents cited prices as their main concern, followed by diplomacy and national security at 16%.
NHK reported last week that Takaichi would call snap elections to accommodate her diplomatic schedule.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in his hometown of Nara to discuss the two countries’ security and economic ties.
Tokyo stocks jumped more than 3 percent on Tuesday on speculation that Takaichi will call snap elections to capitalize on strong poll numbers.
A tense dispute with China over Taiwan
A clear mandate for Takaichi and the LDP could also help break the deadlock between a A diplomatic spat with ChinaAccording to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
It claims relations have deteriorated sharply since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
Beijing has announced a broad ban on exports to Japan of “dual-use” items with potential military applications and has halted exports of rare-earth products vital to making everything from electric cars to missiles.
Last month, Takaichi said she was “always open” to dialogue with China.
For its part, the Lee administration has emphasized its goal of “re-establishing” relations with China, South Korea’s largest trading partner. At the same time, Lee’s approach to “pragmatic diplomacy” aims to maintain strong ties with South Korea’s most important allies, Japan and the United States.
Under Lee’s predecessor, Yun Suk Yeol, Seoul leaned closer to Washington and Tokyo and criticized China’s stance on Taiwan.
In contrast, Lee has said he will not take sides in disputes between China and Japan, a position he has maintained amid Beijing’s recent escalation of tensions around the Taiwan Strait. Military drills Near Taiwan.