Japan’s PM Takaichi will dissolve parliament, call snap election 

Japan’s Prime Minister ⁠Sanae Takaichi has ​said she ‍will dissolve parliament ‍on Friday ⁠and call a general election ​to ‌seek voter backing for her ‌spending ‌plans and ⁠other policies.

The snap election announcement on Monday comes just three months into her tenure as the nation’s first female prime minister.

“Today, I, as the Prime Minister, have decided to dissolve the lower house on January 23,” Takaichi told a news conference.

The snap vote will decide all 465 seats in parliament’s lower house and mark Takaichi’s first electoral test since becoming prime minister.

Calling an early election would allow her to capitalise on strong public support to tighten her grip on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and shore up her coalition’s fragile majority.

The election will test voter appetite for higher spending at a time when the rising cost of living is the public’s top concern. A poll released by public broadcaster NHK last week found 45% of respondents cited prices as their main worry, followed by diplomacy and national security at 16%.

More to come…