Author: Sophie Polanksi

Japan’s ruling coalition faces voters on February 8 holding a single-seat majority in the Lower House, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved parliament and called a snap election despite her term running until October 2028. The gamble comes as the Liberal Democratic Party confronts a newly unified opposition. On January 16, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan joined with Komeito — the LDP’s coalition partner for 26 years until recently — to form the Centrist Reform Alliance, which now controls 172 seats in the 456-seat chamber. Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan economist at Oxford Economics, warned that without Komeito’s organisational support,…