A late-night online report by Yomiuri Shimbun on January 9—saying that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was considering dissolving the Lower House when the ordinary session of the Diet opens on January 23—has fueled speculation in Japan about a snap election.
The prime minister herself has said nothing publicly, but over the three-day holiday weekend, both ruling and opposition camps began preparing as if a general election were imminent.
Even by Japanese political standards, however, this dissolution story has several unusual features.
