Voting Starts in General Election in Japan

Newsfrom Japan

Politics

Feb 8, 2026 08:39 (JST)

Tokyo, Feb. 8 (Jiji Press)–Voting started across Japan in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, in which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks a public mandate after her Liberal Democratic Party switched its coalition partner.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. as many parts of the country were hit by snowfall. Snow fell even in central Tokyo. Vote counting will begin as soon as balloting ends at 8 p.m.

The general election for the all-important lower chamber of parliament is the first national election since the LDP formed a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party last October after Komeito ditched its 26-year partnership with the LDP.

To counter the move, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito launched the Centrist Reform Alliance to bring together their Lower House members.

Key election issues were economic measures such as consumption tax reduction, steps to combat persisting inflation, and policies on foreign nationals. The focus is whether the LDP-JIP coalition will secure a majority of at least 233 seats.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press