Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is planning to dissolve the country’s Lower House later this month and opt for a snap election likely in February, according to public broadcaster NHK.
This comes as reports over the weekend from Japanese media said that the LDP was looking to capitalize on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s high approval ratings to stabilize the ruling coalition.
NHK said Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had instructed the election board in each prefecture to prepare for possible general elections.
Takaichi’s approval ratings are at a historic 75%, according to a Nikkei survey, marking the third straight month of ratings above 70%.
The high ratings come at a time when Tokyo has been locked in a diplomatic spat with Beijing over comments from Takaichi in November about Chinese military action against Taiwan possibly triggering an intervention by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
