Speculation that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will call for a snap election continues to rise as the leader of a partner in her party’s coalition cited a shift to “a new stage.”
“Dissolution is the prime minister’s prerogative,” Hirofumi Yoshimura, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Ishin, said Sunday on public broadcaster NHK. “If she decides to dissolve the Diet, we are prepared to fight” as a coalition partner.
The Yomiuri newspaper reported late Friday that Takaichi may call for a vote on Feb. 8 or Feb. 15, citing unidentified government officials. Other Japanese media have since published similar reports saying that Takaichi may announce a dissolution of the lower house of parliament at the start of the next parliament session on Jan. 23.
“When speaking with the prime minister, I felt we have shifted to a new stage now,” Yoshimura said about his conversation with Takaichi on Friday, without elaborating further.
Yoshimura’s comments add to the speculation that Takaichi will try to leverage her popularity to strengthen the coalition’s grip on power. Her ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Ishin have only a razor-thin majority in the powerful lower house, with the help of three independent lawmakers.
Takaichi’s support ratings have held steady at historically high levels. Surveys conducted in December showed that about 70% of respondents were in support of her administration.
The Yomiuri report pushed the yen down to 158.18 versus the dollar on Friday, the lowest since January 2025. The currency may face high volatility on Monday in thin trading, as Japan will be on a public holiday.
The yen’s slide has caused Japanese officials to ramp up warnings against speculative trading, and markets are bracing for possible government intervention to support the currency.
READ: Will a Weak Yen Trigger Government Intervention?: QuickTake
When Takaichi became prime minister in October, she started without a majority in either of the two chambers of parliament due to the LDP’s weak results in two national elections under her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. Takaichi can dissolve only the lower house for a snap election — her party will remain six seats short of a majority in the upper house.
Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, said that the biggest opposition party is now in election mode.
“A dissolution on the 23rd has become very likely,” Noda said Sunday on NHK. “Since they’ve made their move, we intend to keep pushing forward aggressively.”
In an interview that was recorded on Thursday and aired Sunday on NHK, Takaichi said she was focusing on immediate tasks when asked about the possibility of dissolving the lower house of parliament.
“Regarding the dissolution? We’ve managed to pass the supplementary budget, and I’m instructing all ministers to ensure its early execution,” Takaichi said. “We want the public to feel the effects of our inflation-relief and economic policies as soon as possible.”