Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has taken a decisive step by dissolving the lower house of parliament, setting the stage for a snap election scheduled for February 8.

This strategic move is seen as an effort to leverage her current popularity, aiming to bolster the governing party’s position after experiencing significant setbacks in recent years.

The conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Takaichi, along with its coalition, held a narrow majority in the lower house and lacked a majority in the upper house. As a result, the coalition has had to rely on support from opposition members to advance its legislative agenda.

The dissolution of the 465-seat lower house initiates a 12-day campaign period, officially commencing on Tuesday.

Takaichi, who made history as Japan’s first female prime minister upon her parliamentary election in October, stated that this decision serves the best interests of the Japanese populace.

“I believe that the only option is for the people, as sovereign citizens, to decide whether Sanae Takaichi should be prime minister,” she announced during a news conference on Monday, outlining her election plans.

“I’m staking my career as prime minister (on it).”

Opposition criticises delay of economic policies

Despite only being in office for three months, Takaichi has seen a strong approval rating of about 70 per cent, with particularly high support from young people.

Her government enjoys around 90 per cent support among those under 30, according to a poll published at the end of December by the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper and Fuji Television.

As the snap election approaches, Takaichi told voters to judge her fiscal spending moves, further military build-up and tougher immigration policies to make Japan “strong and prosperous”.

However, opposition leaders have criticised Takaichi for delaying the passage of a budget needed to fund key economic measures.

Japan has faced a surge in living costs and a chronically weak yen that has made imports more expensive.

“It’s not clear if high public support for the Takaichi cabinet will actually lead to support of the LDP,” Hidehiro Yamamoto, a politics professor at the University of Tsukuba, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

“What the public are concerned about is measures to address inflation.”

Public discontent over rising prices largely contributed to the downfall of Shigeru Ishiba, whom Takaichi succeeded in October.

Although Takaichi has made her party more appealing to young voters, many traditional LDP voters have also shifted to emerging far-right populist opposition parties, such as the anti-globalist Sanseito.

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.

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