January  31, 2026

Campaigning for Japan's House of Representatives election has officially begun, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's core objective is clear: to seize power through this election. Her decision to dissolve the lower house and call an early election is, without doubt, a political gamble launched under a misreading of inflated approval ratings. The move faces multiple challenges and is likely to accelerate the restructuring of Japan's party landscape toward a more pluralistic and competitive configuration.

An NHK opinion poll released on January 26 shows the approval rate for the Takaichi cabinet at 59 percent, down three points from two weeks earlier, and the disapproval rate at 26 percent, up five points. Nearly half of respondents said the decision to dissolve the lower house was inappropriate. 

A closer look suggests that the seemingly solid approval ratings the Takaichi cabinet has maintained since taking office are in fact a temporary aggregation of attitudes from several heterogeneous groups: core supporters, provisional acquiescence from coalition partners, observers among supporters of other parties, and voters with no party affiliation. 

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202601/1354555.shtml