Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved Japan’s House of Representatives today for a snap general election on Feb 8, seeking a public mandate to push through her economic and security policy agenda with her new coalition partner, Kyodo News reported.

The dissolution of the lower house at the outset of the ordinary parliamentary session effectively kicked off a short campaign period for the election, with the ruling and opposition camps both floating the idea of lifting the consumption tax on food to ease the burden on inflation-hit households.

This morning, Takaichi’s cabinet...