Japanese Premier Takaichi likely to announce snap elections plans on Monday: Report

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan's first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is likely to announce snap elections in the country on Monday, a lawmaker said on Wednesday.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, whose Japan Innovation Party (JIP) is a junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said Takaichi "is expected to announce her plan" on Monday, according to the Kyodo news agency.

It added that the prime minister has "signaled her intention to dissolve" the lower house of the parliament, soon after it convenes on Jan. 23 next week.

The 64-year-old Japanese leader was elected as the 104th prime minister of Japan last October.

Her LDP plus JIP coalition leads a thin majority in the 465-seat lower house of the bicameral parliament. They remain in the minority in the 225-seat upper house.

In case Takaichi calls for snap elections, the official campaigning for a general election may start on either Jan. 27 or Feb. 3, with voting set for Feb. 8 or Feb. 15, respectively, according to the news agency.

Since the current lower house of the Japanese parliament, locally known as Diet, was elected in October 2024, the general elections are originally scheduled no later than October 2028.

Of the 465 seats, 289 are allocated to single-seat constituencies, and 176 are assigned under the proportional representation system.