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Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi is to hold a snap general election, her coalition partner has said, as she seeks to convert her high public approval ratings into a clear majority for her ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Takaichi informed senior colleagues on Wednesday of her intention to dissolve the lower house of parliament soon after it reconvenes on January 23, according to Hirofumi Yoshimura, whose Japan Innovation Party governs in coalition with the LDP.
She is then expected to call the snap poll in February but no date has been set. Shunichi Suzuki, the LDP’s secretary-general, said Takaichi would give more details at a press conference on January 19.
Speculation around Takaichi’s plans for an election has driven Japanese stocks to a series of record highs this week, with investors betting that Japan’s first female prime minister will secure a clear election victory and gain a mandate for further fiscal stimulus for the economy.
Takaichi became prime minister in October after winning an internal vote for leadership of the LDP. The party lost its majority in the lower house of parliament in 2024 under previous leader and prime minister Shigeru Ishiba. It lost its upper house majority the following year.
This is a developing story