Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has announced a snap general election, with voting scheduled for February 8, 2026. This decision follows her declaration on Monday, January 19, to dissolve the lower house of the Diet, Japan's parliament, on January 23. Takaichi, who made history as Japan's first female prime minister when she took office on October 21, 2025, is reportedly making this move to capitalize on her high approval ratings. News outlets indicate that her personal popularity, which has seen her cabinet's approval reach a peak, is a key factor in her gamble to seek a renewed public mandate. The snap election comes despite the next lower house poll not being due until October 2028. Takaichi aims to reverse the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) recent electoral setbacks and secure a stronger majority in the 465-member House of Representatives. The LDP-led coalition currently holds a slim majority, and the election is seen as an attempt to reassert Takaichi's authority amid years of the party slumping in the polls. The compressed 16-day campaign period between dissolution and election day will be one of the shortest in Japan's postwar history. The timing of the election, just three months into her premiership, also reflects a desire to test public support for her new policy direction, particularly after a reconfiguration of the ruling coalition. Critics, however, have voiced concerns that the snap election could delay the passage of Japan's fiscal 2026 budget and new price relief measures.