The country’s first female prime minister hopes a majority will help her achieve her political and financial agenda.
Published January 13, 2026
According to Kyodo News, less than three months after taking office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has informed ruling party leaders of his intention to dissolve the House of Representatives next week.
Kyodo News reported on Tuesday, citing people involved, that Takaichi plans to declare the dissolution of the Diet at the beginning of the regular Diet session on January 23.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The decision paves the way for snap elections in the world’s fourth-largest economy, with Takaichi’s once-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) hoping to gain more seats.
Kyodo News reported that if a general election is held early due to the high approval rating of the Takauchi Cabinet, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Ishin Party may hold a majority in the House of Representatives.
The Yomiuri Shimbun on Friday reported that Takaichi is considering dissolving the House of Representatives on January 17 in preparation for a snap election on February 8 or 15.
Takaichi is hoping for a larger majority to implement his policies of more “aggressive” fiscal spending and strengthening intelligence capabilities, Yomiuri reported.
Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, has so far remained silent publicly about holding an early general election.
The ruling party and the Liberal Democratic Party have not yet commented on the report.
On Monday, NHK News reported that the leaders of Japan’s opposition parties, the Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito, had agreed to “explore ways to work more closely” to counter Takaichi’s coalition government in the event of a snap poll.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party of Japan representative Yuichiro Tamaki warned that if the House of Representatives is dissolved before next year’s budget is passed, the Takaichi administration will be forced to put the economy on the back burner.
NHK reported that Takaichi is expected to make a final decision on the snap general election while taking diplomatic schedules into consideration.
On Tuesday, the prime minister invited South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to his hometown of Nara to discuss the two countries’ security and economic ties.
Tokyo stock markets rose more than 3% on Tuesday on speculation that Takaichi might take advantage of his strong poll numbers to call a snap election.
According to Yomiuri, clear authority for Takaichi and the Liberal Democratic Party could also help break the diplomatic impasse with China.
Relations have soured since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily if China launched an attack on Taiwan, which it claims is an autonomous territory.
The Chinese government has announced a broad ban on exports to Japan of “dual-use” products with potential military applications, and is reportedly blocking exports of rare earth products essential for manufacturing everything from electric cars to missiles.
Takaichi said last month that he was “always open” to dialogue with China.
Japan’s last general election was in October 2024, when the Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority under the leadership of Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.
Mr. Ishiba was then forced to resign, paving the way for Mr. Takaichi’s historic election as prime minister in October 2025.
