JAPAN PM TAKAICHI SAYS TO DISSOLVE LOWER HOUSE ON FRIDAY FOR FEB 8 ELECTION

TOKYO, Jan 19 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced her plan to dissolve the House of Representatives on Friday for a snap general election to be held on Feb 8, with official campaigning to start Jan 27, aiming to solidify the foundation of her government, Kyodo News reported.

At a press conference on Monday, Takaichi said she will put her job on the line and seek the voters' judgment on whether she should remain Japan's prime minister, after dissolving the lower house on the opening day of this year's ordinary parliamentary session.

She also said she will aim for a majority for the ruling bloc in the election.

The election would be the first since Takaichi became the nation's first female prime minister on Oct 21 and since her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) signed a coalition deal with the Japan Innovation Party the day before.

In the election, Takaichi will hope to capitalise on high approval ratings for her Cabinet to seek a public mandate for what she terms her "responsible yet aggressive" fiscal stance and the new framework of the ruling coalition.

The snap poll is set to be held less than a year and a half after the previous lower house election in October 2024.

Under Japan's Constitution, members of the lower house serve four-year terms unless it is dissolved.

Last week, Takaichi told senior members from the ruling parties of her plan to dissolve the lower house "at an early stage" after the 150-day regular Diet session convenes next Friday.

Takaichi's government has struggled with parliamentary management as the LDP-led bloc holds only a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber and remains a minority in the House of Councillors, requiring it to cooperate with opposition parties to pass bills.

To battle the conservative ruling camp, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Komeito party, a former longtime LDP ally, agreed Thursday to form the Centrist Reform Alliance, which would be the largest opposition force, for the upcoming contest.

Opposition parties have criticised Takaichi's plan to call an early election, saying she is putting political considerations ahead of parliamentary enactment of the initial budget for fiscal 2026 starting in April, despite her pledge to prioritise policy implementation.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO