Japan plans to dissolve parliament with possible snap election in February: NHK

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is planning to dissolve the country’s Lower House later this month and opt for a snap election likely in February, according to public broadcaster NHK.

This comes as reports over the weekend from Japanese media said that the LDP was looking to capitalize on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s high approval ratings to stabilize the ruling coalition.

NHK said Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had instructed the election board in each prefecture to prepare for possible general elections.

Takaichi’s approval ratings are at a historic 75%, according to a Nikkei survey, marking the third straight month of ratings above 70%.

The high ratings come at a time when Tokyo has been locked in a diplomatic spat with Beijing over comments from Takaichi in November about Chinese military action against Taiwan possibly triggering an intervention by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

The snap election, if called in February, would be just about four months into Takaichi’s term as prime minister, and would be the first election that the LDP would run with its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party.

Reuters on Monday reported that JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura had spoken to Takaichi, and said that the prime minister’s view on the timing of the election had shifted to a “new stage,” without giving more details.

The LDP and the JIP hold 230 seats in the Lower House, and with three independents joining, the ruling coalition now holds a slim majority in the 465-seat chamber.

However, the coalition is in the minority in Japan’s Upper House, holding only 119 of the 250 seats.

Separately, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda vowed to oust the ruling coalition in an NHK interview, while raising expectations of an alliance with Komeito, the LDP’s former coalition partner.

The CDP, Japan’s largest opposition party, holds 148 seats in the Lower House, with Komeito controlling 24 seats.

Komeito had dropped out of the ruling coalition over “illegal political financing practices” from the LDP as Takaichi was running for prime minister in October 2025, ending a partnership that had been in place since 1999.

Since taking office, Takaichi has had to contend with a weakening yen, above target inflation, and a weak economy.

The yen is currently at its weakest level against the dollar in a year, hitting a low of 158.19 against the greenback on Monday. Inflation in Japan has ran above the Bank of Japan’s target for a 44th straight month.

Japan’s revised GDP numbers for the third quarter showed the economy contracted more than initially estimated, shrinking 0.6% quarter on quarter, and 2.3% on an annualized basis.