Takaichi Bets Her Future on Snap Election; Hopes to Gain Public Mandate for Administration

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, January 20, 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also is the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, emphasized that she means to bet her future on the upcoming House of Representatives election during a press conference on Monday in which she announced that she will dissolve the lower house.

By cutting off her own means of escape, Takaichi seemed to be demonstrating that securing a public mandate for her administration to remain in control is the purpose of this dissolution.

“I have decided to dissolve the lower house on Jan. 23. Why now? I want the people, in whom sovereignty is vested, to decide whether I should be prime minister. There’s no other way. That was my thought process,” she said.

These were the words with which Takaichi, gazing straight ahead, opened the press conference at 6 p.m. For over 10 minutes, she went on, unsmiling, as she explained points including her reasons for dissolving the lower house.

Takaichi repeatedly addressed her own position, stressing, “If I can’t win a public mandate, I will take responsibility.” She set her goal for the election as securing a majority of seats for the ruling coalition, including the Japan Innovation Party.

Takaichi’s primary concern at the press conference was how to explain why she is dissolving the lower house. The election will be a short fight, as the period between the dissolution and voting day will be the shortest for a lower house election since the end of World War II, allowing her to take the unprepared opposition parties by surprise.

However, criticism has mounted from opposition parties and others that failing to pass a budget for the next fiscal year before the current fiscal year ends will impact people’s lives.

Even within the LDP, dissatisfaction has emerged over local governments being unable to prepare to administer elections on time and the fact that this election will be held during the harsh winter season. As concern over these issues spread, one mid-level LDP member said, “If this dissolution is seen as purposeless and selfish, our chances of victory will evaporate in an instant.”

Consequently, Takaichi spent considerable time refining her speech for the day. In addition to the reasons for the dissolution, she personally edited her policy explanations in detail to include appeals for support to advance the administration’s flagship policies and the implementation of policies included in the LDP’s coalition agreement with the JIP.

Takaichi even mentioned names such as Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Yoshihiko Noda, posing the question of which of the two of them would be more suitable as prime minister.

Setting the stage

Takaichi intentionally used past examples as reference points to convey the purpose of the dissolution. The curtain behind the press conference podium was changed from the usual blue to red — the same color used when former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the lower house over postal privatization in 2005.

Takaichi also referenced words from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom she regards as her political mentor. Abe also actively used dissolution to overcome difficult situations, such as in 2017 when he dissolved the lower house while opposition parties continued pursuing the scandals related to school operators Moritomo Gakuen and the Kake Educational Institution.

Given that Koizumi’s and Abe’s decisive moves led to landslide victories for their ruling parties, a lawmaker close to Takaichi said: “The momentum can shift dramatically at a press conference to announce a dissolution. This will be another all-or-nothing election.”

The ruling parties generally welcomed Takaichi’s dissolution announcement. Keiji Furuya, the LDP’s Election Strategy Committee chairperson, told reporters on Monday: “We need the people’s mandate to shift into a higher gear on policy implementation. You could say that this is an election to choose Takaichi as prime minister.”

Concerns are simmering within the LDP about its overall level of support failing to rise despite the Cabinet’s strong approval ratings. However, with Takaichi having said she intends to stake her position on this vote, expectations are also growing: In the words of another mid-level LDP member, “Her supporters will now overwhelmingly vote for the LDP.”

JIP Co-representative Fumitake Fujita also told reporters: “With our backs to the wall, it’s quite natural for us to fight. I want to take this as [proof of Takaichi’s] strong resolve.”

On the same day, Takaichi came out with a measure to temporarily reduce the consumption tax rate on food items to zero, a move which the JIP has been asking for. This prompted Fujita to say: “I strongly agree [with this action]. I think she’s ready to fight now.”