The Tamesis
January 28, 2026
Tokyo – The 12-day campaign begins on Tuesday for the House of Representatives elections, which will be held on February 8.
Key issues include public confidence in the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, economic measures such as consumption tax cuts, and the “responsible and proactive public finances” pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
As of 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, 1,219 candidates had signed up. The last House of Representatives election in 2024 had 1,344 candidates.
Candidates will compete for 465 seats in the House of Commons (289 single-member constituencies and 176 proportional representation seats). The Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Independence Party aim for a majority, while opposition parties such as the centrist Reform Alliance and the People’s Democratic Party will compete.
Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties launched campaign events across the country on Tuesday morning.
“Economic growth is vital to Japan’s strength and prosperity. Key among them is responsible and proactive public finance,” Takaichi told supporters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. “We are seeking the people’s trust as our key policy and administrative frameworks change.”
“If we don’t get a majority, I will resign as prime minister,” Takaichi added.
CRA co-leader Yoshihiko Noda criticized the timing of dissolving the lower house in a street speech in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture.
“We want to work and work harder for the people. Why disband at this time? Will you choose a politics that puts people’s lives on the back burner?” Noda said. He promised to “advocate for policies that prioritize people’s daily lives.”
“We will be an internal accelerator,” JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura said, standing with Chiyoda Ward’s Takaichi. [the ruling coalition] to push for reforms that have stalled under the Liberal Democratic Party. “
DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki issued an appeal to supporters in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. “We will move from the old politics of electoral priorities to a new, policy-driven politics,” he said.
“We strongly oppose accepting immigrants. We will abolish the consumption tax that is dragging down the economy,” Sohei Kamiya, leader of the three provinces party, said in a speech in Chiyoda Ward.
Tomoko Tamura, leader of the Communist Party of Japan, criticized Takaichi’s cabinet in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward, saying “there is no justifiable reason for disbandment.” Akiko Oishi, co-leader of the Reiwa Shinsengumi, who has called for abolishing the consumption tax, said in Osaka city, “They talk about tax cuts, but there is a lack of commitment from almost all parties.”
Leaders of Minamoto Masaikou, the Conservative Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party and the Future Team also gave street speeches.
This is the first House of Commons election since October 2024. It took only 16 days from the dissolution of the House of Commons to the vote, the shortest time since the end of World War II.
