Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has dissolved the country’s lower house of parliament, paving the way for a snap general election on February 8. The formal dissolution was announced in Tokyo after the speaker read out a letter, as lawmakers responded with the traditional rallying cry of “banzai”.
The move triggers a 12 day election campaign due to begin on Tuesday. Ms Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister, announced earlier this week that she intended to seek a fresh mandate, just three months after taking office following her election in October.
Opinion polls suggest approval ratings of about 70 percent for the prime minister, and analysts say she is seeking to capitalise on her personal popularity to shore up support for the governing coalition. Her Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, currently hold only a slim majority in the 465 member lower chamber.
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Key campaign issues are expected to include rising consumer prices and national security, amid heightened tensions with China. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reports that parties are debating measures such as cutting food taxes to ease inflation, which contributed to the fall of former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, whom Ms Takaichi replaced.
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