Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called for a snap election three months after being elected to office in pursuit of a mandate to fuel what she said is major changes to policy there.
Takaichi said she plans to dissolve the lower house country's parliament, the Diet, on Friday ahead of a snap election on Feb. 8 aimed at gaining a mandate from voters and a majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives, The Guardian and the Financial Times reported.
The prime minister also announced that she plans to suspend sales tax on food there for two years, reduce the country's debt-to-GDP ratio and strengthen social security, among other moves to stimulate the country's economy.
"I am putting my future as prime minister on the line," Takaichi told reporters at a press conference. "I want the people to decide directly whether they can entrust the management of the country to me."
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