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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve parliament next week and call a snap election to let voters weigh in on her new coalition with the right‑wing Japan Innovation Party and on her proposals to increase fiscal and defense spending, a move unfolding amid ongoing diplomatic tensions with China.
Kristin Roebuck
Assistant Professor of History
Kristin Roebuck, a Cornell University historian specializing in modern Japan, says the timing may be ideal for Takaichi to call a snap election.
Roebuck says:
“Prime Minister Takaichi appears to be presiding over a revival in the Liberal Democratic Party’s fortunes, with public approval ratings approaching 80% — in stark contrast to former LDP president and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose approval ratings languished in the teens before his ignominious resignation in fall 2024.
“In December, Takaichi essentially threatened to go to war if China attempted to seize control of Taiwan by force. China’s response to that veiled threat has had paradoxical short‑term effects, exacerbating Japan’s economic problems while also boosting domestic support for Takaichi’s right‑wing politics, which emphasize high military spending and surveillance and suspicion of foreigners.
“As a result, this moment of international crisis may be the perfect time for Takaichi to hold a snap election.”
