Japan’s Prime Minister Dissolves Lower House, Calls Early Election for Feb. 8

Overview

• Sanae Takaichi said the dissolution takes effect Jan. 23, with voters set to choose a new Lower House on Feb. 8.
• Framing the vote as a public verdict on her leadership, she said she is staking her political future on the outcome.
• The election will test public support for the governing shift from a longtime partnership with Komeito to an alliance with the Japan Innovation Party.
• Her cabinet’s support is high, with a weekend Asahi Shimbun poll showing 67% approval shortly after she became Japan’s first female prime minister in October.
• Markets have shown sensitivity to the snap-election move, and the government faces budget timing pressures as Takaichi also floated a two‑year suspension of the consumption tax on food, a costly measure tied to the coalition platform.