Takaichi met with high-ranking officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party Wednesday evening in the prime minister’s office.
The executives later announced Takaichi’s decision to call a snap election. They say the prime minister will hold a news conference next Monday to give details and explain her reasoning.
Takaichi has been in office since last October, when she formed a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party. Her administration currently holds a slim majority in the Lower House. That’s because three independent lawmakers decided to join the LDP’s group in the chamber. She only has a minority in the Upper House.
The election is set to come with more than two years left in the current Lower House term. And some LDP members have said the party should prioritize passing a budget before the start of the fiscal year.
Others say it makes sense for Takaichi to seek a stronger mandate while her Cabinet’s approval rating is high.
Opposition parties question timing of election
Constitutional Democratic Party Secretary-General Azumi Jun said: “We don’t understand why the Lower House is being dissolved at the expense of halting deliberations on the budget bill. We cannot accept the prime minister’s stance that the matter is left to her simply because she has a high approval rating.”
Democratic Party for the People President Tamaki Yuichiro said: “To be honest, I would prefer that the prime minister made economic policies her top priority. We want to fight this election campaign by calling for better economic policies.”
Komeito Chief Representative Saito Tetsuo said: “It’s hard to understand that the prime minister has decided to dissolve the Lower House knowing that the budget, which is very important for people’s lives and the economy, will not be enacted by the end of this fiscal year.”
