Japanese PM Takaichi dissolves lower House to hold elections on February 8

Tokyo, Jan 23 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday dissolved House of Representatives for a snap election set to be held on February 8, local media reported.

The lower house dissolution at the outset of the ordinary parliamentary session effectively began a short campaign time for political parties ahead of the polls, with the ruling and opposition parties proposing lifting the consumption tax on food to ease the burden on households facing inflation, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

On Friday, Takaichi's cabinet gave approval to the plan of dissolving the 465-member chamber. Notably, prime ministers in Japan can dissolve the lower house; however, it is the first time that a lower house is dissolved at the start of a regular session in six decades.

Takaichi has stressed that she has decided to hold the elections as she has not yet received the support of the people for her premiership, which began in October last year. The ruling coalition has proposed suspending the consumption tax on food, while the opposition alliance has offered to scrap it on all such products. The election debates will also include issues like politics, money, which gained attention after the slush fund scandal that hit the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in recent years and matters linked to foreign residents and tourists.

Notably, Takaichi's cabinet has a high support rating. However, the ruling coalition has a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber and is a minority in the House of Councillors, implying that it needs support from lawmakers of opposition parties to pass the bill.

Opposition parties have criticised Sanae Takaichi for calling an election before the parliament enacts an initial budget for fiscal 2026, starting April, accusing her of prioritising political considerations.

A former television anchor, Takaichi, entered Japanese politics in 1993 after winning a seat in the Lower House as an independent. Takaichi joined Japan's LDP in 1996 and entered the Cabinet for the first time under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She held the position of the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs. Later, she went on to become the first woman to chair the LDP's Policy Research Council.

From 2022 to 2024, Takaichi was Japan’s Economic Security Minister. She also holds the record as the longest-serving Minister for Internal Affairs, a post she held in several tenures.

Takaichi, a prominent voice of the LDP’s conservative wing and advocating its causes for a long time, was elected as the leader of the LDP after receiving 185 votes. She defeated Shinjiro Shinjiro, who garnered 156 votes in a runoff after none of the five candidates in the party leadership race secured a majority in the initial round of voting.