Dissolution of Lower House: Voters’ Choices Gain Weight in Era of Multiparty Politics / Evaluate Not Just Ideologies But Policies As Well

Editorial

15:31 JST, January 24, 2026

Can the ruling coalition — the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Japan’s first female prime minister, and its partner the Japan Innovation Party — stabilize the foundation for her administration as intended?

Or will a new party advocating a centrist policy line seize control of the political situation? With the arrival of an era of multiparty politics, the moves of emerging forces cannot be overlooked.

Moreover, in principle, there reportedly will be no electoral cooperation between the ruling parties, nor will there be any among the opposition forces. The outcome of the House of Representatives election is extremely difficult to predict. Voters’ choices will carry greater weight than ever before.

At the start of the ordinary Diet session, the lower house was dissolved, effectively kicking off the election campaign. The lower house election will follow a schedule in which official campaigning starts on Jan. 27, with voting and ballot counting on Feb. 8.

PM seeks judgment on staying in power

Although the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is maintaining high approval ratings, it is hard to say that expectations for the LDP are rising.

Takaichi has positioned this election as an opportunity to choose between her own continuation as prime minister or a replacement by other figures, such as Yoshihiko Noda, coleader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, a new party formed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. The aim is likely to link high support for her Cabinet to votes for the LDP.

On the other hand, the CRA seeks to attract moderate conservative voters to its side, arguing that “Japan is shifting to the right with the launch of the Takaichi administration.”

During the era of the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition, Komeito supported LDP candidates in most single-seat constituencies. Some observers suggest that if Komeito’s votes — estimated at 10,000 to 20,000 votes per constituency — shift from the LDP to CRA candidates in this election, the CRA could surge to become the largest party.

Moreover, the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito each plan to field over 100 candidates this time. This election, which will determine the course the nation should take, appears poised for turbulence.

Ruling and opposition parties must present concrete solutions and engage in constructive deliberations over how to resolve domestic and foreign policy challenges.

Voters should also carefully evaluate not only ideologies but also the substance of policies to determine which party’s or candidate’s appeals are realistic and reasonable.

Is CRA’s realistic approach genuine?

How much support the CRA can garner will be one of the focal points of the lower house election.

The CRA stated in its platform that “radical statements are becoming prominent regardless of right or left,” pledging to “confront extremism.” The CRA appears to aim to reach a wide range of voters by arguing that social division will deepen under a Takaichi administration that pursues hawkish policies.

However, merely competing over ideologies such as “conservative or centrist” will not be enough to overcome difficult situations.

The CRA has made a major shift from the CDPJ’s previous policies. It deemed the security-related laws that enable the nation to exercise its right to collective self-defense in a limited manner to be “constitutional” and abandoned its policy of “a society with zero dependence on nuclear energy,” thereby accepting the restart of reactors.

Although working to shift to a realistic approach is praiseworthy, are lawmakers from the CDPJ truly convinced?

The CRA also explicitly included in its election pledges the introduction of a system that would allow separate surnames for married couples.

The CRA seems to think that emphasizing a stance for a diverse society will unite centrist forces. However, what surnames should be like — an issue that concerns the foundation of the family system and social life — should be carefully discussed separately from the lower house election.

In the first place, can family unity be maintained by allowing parents and children to have different surnames? More than a few people likely feel uneasy about promoting long-standing liberal policies under the guise of the term “centrist.”

Population decline shows no sign of stopping, and the Japanese economy remains stagnant. The international order is on the brink of collapse, making the question of how to restore multilateral cooperation frameworks an urgent challenge.

As the nation faces a critical turning point, it is lamentable that parties are chasing short-term popularity, competing over benefit handouts or tax cut measures.

In their election pledges, nearly all parties call for cutting or abolishing the consumption tax. A political party cannot be called responsible when, simply because inflation persists, it proposes tax cuts that apparently shift the burden onto future generations without securing other funding sources.

If the core tax revenues that underpin the social security system are reduced, how will the resulting gap be filled? Each party must present a credible road map for fiscal reconstruction for that purpose.

Misinformation threatens democracy

In elections in recent years, parties have intensified their use of social media to disseminate information. The aim is to appeal to young voters who rely on social media for information gathering.

However, social media includes a lot of false and misleading information. There is an increasing number of cases in which third parties edit and post footage they captured of speeches and other content. More than a few cases involve extreme content designed to attract attention for advertising revenue.

If voters are deceived by false or misleading information, it undermines the fairness of elections, the very foundation of democracy.

Voters are required to develop the judgment to discern accurate information.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 24, 2026)