Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Dissolves Parliament After 3 Months In Office, Snap Elections Scheduled To Take Place On February 8

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday (January 23) dissolved parliament only three months after becoming the PM. The snap elections in Japan are now scheduled to take place on February 8.

The announcement in this regard was made by the speaker of Japan’s parliament, Fukushiro Nukaga. He read out the letter officially dissolving the lower house.

The move by Takaichi is believed to be an attempt to capitalise on her popularity, so that her party could regain the ground it lost in recent years. Elected in October as Japan's first female leader, Takaichi has seen strong approval ratings of about 70 per cent, reported The Associated Press.

The dissolution of the 465-member parliament paves the way for a 12-day campaign.

Notably, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) has a slim majority in the lower house after an election loss in 2024. The coalition also does not have a majority in the upper house.

Takaichi faced criticism from opposition leaders over her move to dissolve the parliament.

The development comes at a time when Japan is facing escalating tensions with China after Takaichi made remarks suggesting that Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan. United States President Donald Trump is also reportedly pressuring Japan to buy more weapons.

Who Is Sanae Takaichi?

Born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Takaichi's political journey began in the 1980s while working in the Washington office of Democrat Patricia Schroeder, a vocal critic of Japan during a period of trade friction between the two nations. Observing how Americans often confused Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures, Takaichi concluded that "unless Japan can defend itself, its fate will always be at the mercy of shallow US opinion."

She first ran for office as an independent candidate in 1992, losing narrowly, but won the following year and joined the LDP in 1996. Since then, she has held a seat in parliament ten times and served in multiple senior roles, including as minister for internal affairs and communications, minister for economic security, and state minister for trade and industry.

The 64-year-old leader, long known for her admiration of Britain's late Margaret Thatcher, achieved her decades-long ambition on her third attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Published on: Friday, January 23, 2026, 11:32 AM IST