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Lower house of Japanese parliament to be dissolved on January 23 — PM

Sanae Takaichi added that the decision of whether she should be the head of government "belongs to the people"

TOKYO, January 19. /TASS/. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced her decision to dissolve the lower house of parliament on January 23.

"Today, as prime minister, I have decided to dissolve the House of Representatives on January 23," she said. When asked about her reasons for this decision, the prime minister said that the decision of whether she should be the head of government "belongs to the people."

"I would like the people themselves to decide whether they can trust me to run the country," she added. In Japan, the prime minister is elected by members of parliament. However, during the last election in 2024, there was no talk of her leading the government.

During her speech, the head of government noted that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) did not put the current government program to a vote during the campaign before the last election. Takaichi advocated for changes to key security documents, including the national security strategy.

The LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament in recent years due to a series of defeats. However, the prime minister and her government now have an extremely high level of voter support. According to polls by the Yomiuri and Nikkei newspapers, support remains above 70%, which is expected to allow the ruling party to strengthen its parliamentary position.

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