The 12-day campaigning period for Japan's February 8, 2026, lower house election kicked off on January 27. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's abrupt dissolution has left just 16 days—the shortest in recent history—for preparations, straining municipalities while students worry about noisy campaigns disrupting entrance exams.
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP) coalition aims to secure a majority in the February 8 lower house election. Campaigning began nationwide on the morning of January 27, with 1,219 candidates vying for 465 seats (289 single-seat constituencies and 176 proportional representation seats).
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addressed supporters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, stating, “Economic growth is essential to make Japan strong and prosperous. The key to that is responsible and proactive public finances.” She added, “If we fail to secure a majority, I will resign as prime minister.” JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, standing alongside her, said, “We will be the accelerator inside [the ruling coalition] to drive reforms, which have stalled under the LDP.”
Opposition leaders criticized the dissolution's timing. Centrist Reform Alliance co-leader Yoshihiko Noda said in a street speech in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, “We wanted to work, work harder for the people. Why dissolve at this point? Will you choose a politics that puts people’s lives on the back burner?” Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki appealed in Tokyo's Minato Ward, “We will shift from old politics prioritizing elections to new, policy-driven politics.”
The snap election's tight 16-day window has created logistical challenges. Municipalities are rushing to set up voting stations, election poster boards, and admission tickets, with staff working overtime. Mayors from five wards and cities in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture issued a statement last week condemning the central government's short notice.
Students and educators have raised concerns over noisy campaigning disrupting entrance-exam season in February, the first such election timing since 1990. The public offices election law urges avoiding noise near schools but lacks penalties. Hiroshi Watanabe, operator of a Tokyo tutoring school, expressed, “They have prepared for years, so I can't help wondering why the election has to be now.” A high school student said, “I want them to stay quiet at least during test hours.” A 12-year-old elementary school student added, “Even the sound of a pencil dropping can distract me.” An official from Komazawa University, with exams from February 4 to 8, noted it's difficult to change dates and can only ask candidates to be considerate. JIP candidate Taro Inaba pledged, “We will be as considerate as possible with street speeches and how we run sound trucks.”
The JIP, which joined the coalition in October after Komeito's departure, struggles with national unpopularity and internal issues over merging Osaka city's wards, but positions itself as a policy accelerator.
