Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has dissolved the lower house of parliament, paving the way for early elections on February 8.
The move is seen as an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help the ruling party regain ground after major losses in recent years.
Takaichi’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition had a slim majority in the Lower House, but did not form a majority in the Upper House. The coalition relies on winning votes from opposition members to pass its agenda.
The dissolution of the 465-member lower house paves the way for a twelve-day campaign that officially starts on Tuesday.
Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister when she was elected by parliament in October, said the move was in the interests of the Japanese people.
“I believe the only option is for the people, as sovereign citizens, to decide whether Sanae Takaichi should become prime minister,” she told a news conference on Monday as she announced plans for the elections.
“I’m betting my career as prime minister on it.”
The opposition criticizes the slowdown in economic policy
Despite only being in office for three months, Takaichi has seen a strong approval rating of around 70 percent, with particularly strong support from young people.
Her government enjoys about 90 percent of support among the under-30s, according to a poll published in late December by the conservative newspaper Sankei Shimbun and Fuji Television.
As snap elections approach, Takaichi told voters to judge her budget spending, further military build-up and tougher immigration policies to make Japan “strong and prosperous.”
However, opposition leaders have criticized Takaichi for delaying the approval of a budget needed to finance key economic measures.
Japan has experienced a rise in the cost of living and a chronically weak yen that has made imports more expensive.
“It is not clear whether the strong public support for the Takaichi Cabinet will actually lead to support for the LDP,” Hidehiro Yamamoto, a professor of politics at the University of Tsukuba, told news agency Agence France-Presse.
“What the public is concerned about is measures to tackle inflation.”
Public discontent over rising prices largely contributed to the downfall of Shigeru Ishiba, who succeeded Takaichi in October.
While Takaichi has made her party more attractive to young voters, many traditional LDP voters have also switched to emerging far-right populist opposition parties, such as the anti-globalist Sanseito.
Meanwhile, Japan is facing escalating tensions with China after Takaichi made comments suggesting Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.
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