Japan PM Takaichi considering snap election in February

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling a snap parliamentary election in the first half of February, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Jan 9, citing government sources.

The move would allow Ms Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister, to take advantage of the strong approval ratings she has enjoyed since

taking office in October 2025

.

Her tough stance on China has appealed to right-wing voters but has sparked

a major diplomatic dispute with Japan’s powerful Asian neighbour

.

Both Feb 8 and 15 are being considered as election dates, the Yomiuri said.

Ms Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party is in coalition with the right-wing Ishin party. Their coalition is a few seats short of a majority in the Lower House.

The US dollar rose against the yen following the report.

Ms Takaichi touched off the biggest dispute with China in more than a decade in late 2025 by remarking that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could represent an

existential threat to Japan

. China claims the democratically ruled island as part of its territory, an assertion Taipei rejects.

Since then, China has urged its citizens not to travel to Japan, cancelled meetings and events and

banned exports of dual-use items

for Japan’s military, among other measures. REUTERS