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.

Relying on her high approval rating, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's gamble to dissolve Japan's House of Representatives on Friday for a general election, while sidestepping substantive policy debates,

Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan On January 19, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae declared in a press conference that she would dissolve the House of Representatives (Japan’s lower house) and call for an election when the Diet convenes on January 23.

Core inflation touched its lowest level since October 2024, and was in line with expectations

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold a press conference at 6 p.m. on Monday, her office said, likely to explain her intention to d