Japanese PM wants to dissolve lower house to hold early election
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives in the near future after the opening of this year's regular parliamentary session on January 23.
The move paves the way for early elections expected to be held next month.
Takaichi conveyed the plan to senior officials of the ruling coalition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, in a meeting on the same day.
As reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Wednesday, January 14, after the Chairman of the Japanese Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura said Takaichi wanted to dissolve the lower house at an early stage and would explain his plan officially on Monday. This was conveyed by Yoshimura after a meeting at the prime minister's office.
If the lower house is dissolved shortly after the 150-day trial period begins, the official campaign for the legislative elections could potentially begin on January 27 or February 3, with voting expected to take place on February 8 or February 15.
Democratic Liberal Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki separately said the government would seek public mandate on Takaichi's progressive fiscal policy, as well as plans to update the key national security document through the upcoming election.
The election will be the first lower house vote since the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, known as Nippon Ishin, formed a coalition last October.
However, Suzuki said the two parties would not coordinate in principle in the electoral district, so candidates from both parties could potentially compete in a number of areas.
Suzuki said efforts to gain public support for policies listed in the coalition agreement were also a reason for holding the election, saying his party would accelerate preparations for the contest.
The early election is scheduled to be held less than 1.5 years after the previous election. According to the Japanese Constitution, the term of office of members of the lower house is four years unless the house is dissolved.
Takaichi's cabinet has maintained high popularity levels since she took office in October, even though the coalition bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party holds only a slim majority in the lower house.
The coalition is still in a minority position in the Upper House and must work with opposition parties to pass laws.
Opposition forces have criticized the early election plan, arguing that the move could delay the approval of the initial budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins in April, although Takaichi promised to prioritize the implementation of his policies.
Suzuki said the government would work to reduce the negative impact on the economy by implementing an additional budget of 18.3 trillion yen or about 115 billion US dollars (about Rp1.94 trillion) for the current fiscal year to March, which includes measures to deal with rising living costs.