Japan PM Takaichi dissolves parliament, calls snap election on Feb 8

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced a snap national election for February 8, seeking voter backing for higher public spending, tax cuts and a revised security strategy expected to accelerate the country’s defence build-up, news agency Reuters reported.

 

Addressing a press conference, Takaichi said she was placing her leadership before voters. “I am staking my own political future as prime minister on this election. I want the public to judge directly whether they will entrust me with the management of the nation,” she was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Push for tax cuts and higher spending

As part of her campaign platform, Takaichi pledged a two-year suspension of the 8 per cent consumption tax on food. She said the proposed measures would support job creation, lift household spending and generate gains in other tax revenues, according to Reuters.

 

 

Government estimates indicate that the tax cut would lower annual revenue by about 5 trillion yen ($32 billion). Market concerns over the impact on public finances pushed yields on Japan’s 10-year government bonds to a 27-year high earlier on Monday.

First electoral test as premier

The February 8 vote will decide all 465 seats in the lower house of parliament and will mark Takaichi’s first nationwide electoral test since she assumed office in October.

 

By calling an early election, she aims to build on current public support, strengthen her hold over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and secure her coalition’s narrow majority.

 

The campaign unfolds amid mounting public concern over living costs. A recent NHK poll found that 45 per cent of respondents cited rising prices as their primary worry, followed by diplomacy and national security at 16 per cent.

Who is Sanae Takaichi?

Takaichi’s rise to Japan’s top political office followed years of persistence. After two unsuccessful bids, she secured the premiership in a parliamentary vote on October 21, 2025, becoming the country’s first woman to hold the post.

 

Positioned on the conservative flank of the Liberal Democratic Party, Takaichi is known for her firm views on immigration and national security, as well as traditional positions on social policy.

 

Before reaching the premiership, she served in multiple cabinet roles and built a public profile through television work. Outside politics, she has spoken openly about her interest in music and has described herself as a long-time fan of heavy metal.

 

Born in Nara Prefecture in 1961 to parents outside political life, Takaichi has said her early years were far removed from governance. Her personal interests, including music, have remained part of her public persona even as she takes on the task of leading a country grappling with economic stagnation, demographic decline and rising geopolitical pressures.