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Key insights
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Snap election timeline set: Dissolution of the lower house triggers a February 8 vote and a 12-day campaign beginning Tuesday.
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New leader seeks mandate: Takaichi, in office for about three months and polling around 70 percent approval, is moving quickly to seek voter backing.
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What happened
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the 465-member lower house of parliament on January 23, 2026, formally setting up a snap election on February 8. The dissolution was read out by the speaker as lawmakers shouted “banzai”. The move starts a 12-day election campaign that officially begins on Tuesday. Takaichi, elected in October as Japan’s first woman leader, has been in office about three months and has approval ratings reported at about 70 percent. She had announced on Monday that she intended to call an election.