Campaigning Starts in Japan for Lower House Race, with Takaichi Vowing to Resign If Ruling Bloc Misses Majority

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:19 JST, January 27, 2026

The 12-day campaigning period for the House of Representatives election kicked off Tuesday, with the election itself to be held on Feb. 8.

Key issues include the public’s confidence in the coalition government formed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, economic measures including consumption tax cuts, and the “responsible and proactive public finances” pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

As of 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, 1,219 candidates had registered. The last lower house election in 2024 saw 1,344 candidates.

The candidates will vie for 465 lower house seats (289 single-seat constituencies and 176 proportional representation seats). The LDP and JIP aim to secure a majority, while opposition parties including the Centrist Reform Alliance and the Democratic Party for the People will compete against them.

Ruling and opposition party leaders launched their campaigns on Tuesday morning at various locations nationwide.

“Economic growth is essential to make Japan strong and prosperous. The key to that is responsible and proactive public finances,” Takaichi told supporters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. “Because our key policies and the framework of our administration have changed, we are seeking the people’s confidence.”

“If we fail to secure a majority, I will resign as prime minister,” Takaichi added.

CRA coleader Yoshihiko Noda criticized the timing of the lower house dissolution in a street speech in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture.

“We wanted to work, work harder for the people. Why dissolve at this point? Will you choose a politics that puts people’s lives on the back burner?” Noda said. He pledged to “advocate policies that prioritize people’s daily lives.”

JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura stood alongside Takaichi in Chiyoda Ward and said, “We will be the accelerator inside [the ruling coalition] to drive reforms, which have stalled under the LDP.”

DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki appealed to supporters in Minato Ward, Tokyo. “We will shift from old politics prioritizing elections to new, policy-driven politics,” he said.

Speaking in Chiyoda Ward, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said, “We vehemently oppose accepting immigrants. We will eliminate the consumption tax, which drags down the economy.”

Japanese Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura criticized the Takaichi Cabinet, saying in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, “There is no just cause for the dissolution.” Reiwa Shinsengumi coleader Akiko Oishi called for abolishing the consumption tax, saying in Osaka City, “They talk about tax cuts, but almost all parties lack commitment.”

The leaders of Genzei Yukoku, the Conservative Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party and Team Mirai also gave street speeches.

This is the first lower house race since October 2024. There are only 16 days from the dissolution of the lower house to voting, the shortest such period since the end of World War II.