‘Staking My Political Future As PM’: Japan's Takaichi Calls Snap Election In February

Last Updated:January 19, 2026, 16:28 IST

Sanae Takaichi calls a snap election for February 8, seeking support for tax cuts, increased spending, and a new security strategy to boost Japan's defence.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. (Image: File Pic)

Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced her decision to call a snap election on February 8.

Reuters quoted the PM saying she will call a national election for February 8 to seek voter backing for increased spending, tax cuts and a new security strategy expected to accelerate Japan’s defence build-up. She will dissolve the House of Representatives on Friday.

“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," Takaichi said in a press conference.

She promised a two-year pause to an 8% consumption tax on food and said her spending plans would create jobs, boost household spending and increase other tax revenues.

Reuters cited government estimates stating that the prospect of consumption tax cut, which would reduce government revenue by 5 trillion yen ($32 billion) a year, sent the yield on Japan’s 10-year government bonds to a 27-year high earlier on Monday.

The snap vote will decide the fate of all 465 seats in parliament’s lower house and mark Takaichi’s first electoral test since becoming Japan’s first female PM in October.

Last year, Japan’s lower house of parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first woman prime minister, a landmark in the nation’s political history. The 64-year-old conservative, known for her outspoken criticism of China, won 237 votes, comfortably clearing the majority threshold in the 465-seat chamber, according to lower house staff.

Takaichi, a former heavy metal drummer, became leader of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on October 4, at a time when the party’s public support has been slipping

During the press conference, Takaichi urged the voters to place their trust in her for running Japan.

News world ‘Staking My Political Future As PM’: Japan's Takaichi Calls Snap Election In February

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