New elections in Japan: Japan’s head of government dissolves parliament

ap/taz | Japan’s new head of government, Sanae Takaichi, has dissolved the lower house of parliament, clearing the way for new elections. Voters are now called upon to vote on the appointment of the powerful parliamentary chamber on February 8th. In doing so, they also indirectly elect the country’s next government.

At the same time, the dissolution of the lower house is delaying a vote on a budget that is intended to stimulate the ailing economy and curb sharply rising prices. Opposition leaders criticized Takaichi for the decision to postpone passing the budget until new elections.

Takaichi war and October the first woman to head Japan’s government been elected. Although she has only been in office for a few months, she has approval ratings of around 70 percent.

In the early election in 2024, the scandal-ridden ruling Liberal Democratic Party under then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba suffered heavy losses; since then, the party and its coalition partners have only had a narrow majority in the lower house. The alliance does not have a majority in the upper house and relies on votes from the opposition to push its agenda through.

For the military, against migration

Probably in the election campaign Takaichi, who is considered a hardliner focus on highlighting the differences to her moderate predecessor Ishiba. Voters should evaluate their decisions on budget spending, further military buildup and tougher migration policies, she said.

It is true that she learns with her determined demeanor especially among younger people a lot of support, but the government party is unpopular among the people because of a financial scandal. Many of their previous voters have switched to emerging right-wing populist opposition parties, such as the anti-globalization Sanseito. The election campaign in Japan officially starts next Tuesday.