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<p data-start="111" data-end="344"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Japan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has taken one of the boldest steps of her young premiership, dissolving parliament just three months after taking office and calling a snap general election that could redefine her grip on power.</span></p>
<p data-start="346" data-end="630"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The decision, announced on Monday, will send voters to the polls on February 8 to elect all 465 members of the lower house. It will be Takaichi&rsquo;s first electoral test as Japan&rsquo;s first female leader and a referendum on whether her early popularity can translate into a lasting mandate.</span></p>
<p data-start="632" data-end="730"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">By moving quickly, Takaichi is betting that timing, not patience, will shape her political future.&nbsp;Since assuming office in October, she has enjoyed unusually strong approval ratings, boosted by her decisive style and pledges of economic stimulus, tax reform and higher defence spending. Rather than waiting for divisions or policy disputes to weaken that support, she has chosen to act while public confidence remains high.&nbsp;At the core of the gamble is legitimacy.</span></p>
<p data-start="1101" data-end="1408"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her Liberal Democratic Party governs with the Japan Innovation Party in a fragile coalition that did not exist in its current form at the last election and holds only a thin majority. Takaichi argues that voters never endorsed this arrangement and that a fresh mandate is needed to stabilise her government.</span></p>
<p data-start="1410" data-end="1542"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;If the coalition wins, I remain prime minister. If not, I step aside,&rdquo; she said, framing the vote as a direct choice of leadership.</span></p>
<p data-start="1544" data-end="1834"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The move also reflects unease within the ruling bloc. The alliance with the Japan Innovation Party is new and untested, with policy differences and internal tensions raising doubts about its durability. An early election allows Takaichi to consolidate authority before cracks become public.</span></p>
<p data-start="1836" data-end="2107"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The opposition, meanwhile, is in flux. A new centrist force formed by the merger of major parties has reshaped the electoral map, especially in urban districts where alliances once proved decisive. By acting now, Takaichi hopes to catch rivals before they fully organise.</span></p>
<p data-start="2109" data-end="2340"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beyond party politics, the election is also about policy survival. Takaichi is seeking backing for higher spending, defence expansion and economic reforms at a time when rising prices and regional tensions dominate public concerns.&nbsp;Yet the risks are high.</span></p>
<p data-start="2367" data-end="2571"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many voters question the need for another national poll so soon after the last one, and fatigue is growing. While Takaichi remains personally popular, scepticism over the timing could blunt her advantage.&nbsp;If the ruling bloc loses its majority, the gamble could end her premiership almost as quickly as it began.</span></p>
<p data-start="2681" data-end="2929" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">After just three months in office, Takaichi has chosen acceleration over caution. The February vote will decide whether her early gamble secures long-term authority or becomes one of the shortest political experiments in modern Japanese leadership.</span></p>
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Takaichi Calls Snap Poll Just 3 Months In

Japan’s first woman prime minister risks early election to secure power & policy mandate

Takaichi Calls Snap Poll Just 3 Months In

Japan’s first woman prime minister risks early election to secure power & policy mandate

January 19, 2026 | 17:12 IST