Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is paving the way for an early election on February 8 that she hopes will translate her strong public polling into a big majority in the lower house. It was an “extremely weighty decision” that would “determine Japan’s course together with the people”, Takaichi told a news conference in Tokyo on January 19.
The country’s first female leader and her cabinet have enjoyed high public support since taking office last October, according to BBC. But her party, LDP, lags behind in polls and the move is risky. It’s Japan’s second general election in as many years and will test appetite for her plans to boost public spending when cost-of-living is top of voters’ minds.
Having been elected as Prime Minister by lawmakers on 21 October, Takaichi is now seeking a public mandate in the House of Representatives, the more powerful house in Japan. Campaigning for the vote to elect the 465 lower house MPs, who serve four-year terms, starts on 27 January.
The LDP has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955. It has 199 seats in the House of Representatives, the most of any party.