Ms Takaichi, a hawkish conservative, took office in October after winning an internal contest to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), becoming Japan’s first female prime minister. Support for her administration remains unusually elevated for a Japanese government at this stage in its term.

Ms Takaichi supports a revival of Abenomics, named after her late predecessor Shinzo Abe, a programme of heavy government spending to drive away persistent deflation. But she is hemmed in by Japan’s public debt – 240 per cent of GDP – and by rising spending on welfare and defence.

The move by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help her governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years.