Japan PM Takaichi may call early election, coalition partner says

(Reuters)

TOKYO, Jan 11 – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may call an early general election, the head of her party’s coalition partner said on Sunday, after media reported she was considering a February vote.

It would be the first time for the conservative Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister and a fan of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, to face the voters, giving her a chance to capitalise on the strong public approval ratings she has enjoyed since taking office in October.

Her tough stance on China has appealed to right-wing voters but has sparked a major diplomatic dispute with Japan’s powerful Asian neighbour.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, told public broadcaster NHK he had met with Takaichi on Friday and felt her view on the timing of an election had shifted to a “new stage”.