Home
World

Japan may see snap election

AFP January 15, 2026 Less than a minute read

Japan's Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a news conference at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 11, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

TOKYO:

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi intends to dissolve the lower house for a snap election soon after a parliamentary session begins next week, her ruling party and a coalition partner said Wednesday.

Takaichi was appointed Japan's first woman prime minister in October and her cabinet is enjoying an approval rating of around 70 percent. But her ruling bloc only has a slim majority in the powerful lower house of parliament, hindering its ability to push through her ambitious policy agenda.

"I was notified by Prime Minister Takaichi that she will dissolve" the lower house "at an early stage of the ordinary parliamentary session", Hirofumi Yoshimura, one of the leaders of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), told reporters.

Yoshimura added that Takaichi told him she planned to hold a news conference on Monday to explain more about her decision.

The Tokyo stock market closed 1.5 percent higher and the yen slumped to its lowest value since mid-2024 on media reports that the election could take place as soon as February 8.