Takaichi to Announce Lower House Dissolution Mon.

The all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, is set to be dissolved early in the ordinary Diet session to be convened January 23, Takaichi said in a meeting with Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki.

The Lower House would be dissolved on January 23, according to senior government officials.

The official campaign period for a general election is expected to start January 27, with the voting date likely to be set for February 8, meaning that an election would be held 16 days after the Lower House is dissolved, the shortest period since the end of World War II.

The prime minister emphasised during the meeting with Yoshimura and Suzuki that she will look to the voters, citing the need to seek their judgment on the LDP-JIP coalition agreement.

If the Lower House is dissolved on January 23, it will be the fifth breakup on the first day of a Diet session.

The last time it happened in January was in 1990.

With the ruling parties falling short of a combined majority in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the prime minister aims to leverage high public approval for her cabinet to secure a victory in the Lower House election and strengthen her administration's foundation while winning public support for her policy initiatives.

"Rather than going with an unstable administration, we can speed up implementing our policies by winning public trust," Yoshimura told reporters after the meeting with Takaichi.

Yoshimura and Suzuki both stated that the LDP and the JIP will not coordinate candidates in single-seat constituencies.

Suzuki said, "A majority is the minimum for the ruling parties," regarding a target in a Lower House election.

Some in the government and the ruling bloc had been looking at a campaign start on February 3 and a voting date of February 15.

Takaichi is apparently considering dissolving the Lower House as soon as possible because a later dissolution would make it difficult for the Diet to pass the government's fiscal 2026 budget before the new fiscal year starts in April.

Takaichi has decided to announce her plans at a news conference on Monday, after considering the upcoming events.

She is scheduled to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Japan.

Saturday marks the 31st anniversary of the powerful earthquake that struck the western Japanese city of Kobe and the surrounding areas in 1995.

The ruling bloc holds 233 seats in the 465-seat Lower House, a narrow majority.

During an election campaign, Takaichi is expected to emphasise her administration's stance of seeking a strong economy and responsible fiscal policy.

As of Wednesday, over 700 people were planning to run in the next Lower House election, with both ruling and opposition parties rushing to field candidates.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]