Japan’s Lower House Members Serve 3rd Shortest Term at Just 454 Days

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:02 JST, January 24, 2026

The dissolution of the House of Representatives on Friday meant that its members — elected on Oct. 27, 2024 — served less than one-third of their four-year term. They were in office for just 454 days, the third shortest period served under the current Constitution.

Only two dissolutions brought about by successful no-confidence votes against the Cabinet at the Diet led to shorter tenures. The fourth Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida was dissolved in March 1953 after just 165 days in office, while the second Cabinet of Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira was dissolved in May 1980 after 226 days.

The latest dissolution was the third in January, following the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama in 1955 and the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in 1990.

Dissolutions are rarely carried out in January since the subsequent election may delay deliberations on the budget for the next fiscal year, making it difficult to pass it by the end of the current fiscal year and impacting people’s lives.

It was the first time in 60 years for the lower house to be dissolved at the start of an ordinary Diet session, since the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1966. It was the first such dissolution since the Diet began convening in January in 1992.