Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will dissolve parliament on Friday, paving the way for an early election on 8 February that she hopes will translate her strong public polling into a big majority in the lower house.
It was an extremely weighty decision that would determine Japan's course together with the people, Takaichi told a news conference in Tokyo.
The country's first female leader and her cabinet have enjoyed high public support since taking office last October.
But her party lags behind in polls and the move is risky. It's Japan's second general election in as many years and will test appetite for her plans to boost public spending when cost-of-living is top of voters' minds.
Having been elected as prime minister by lawmakers on 21 October, Takaichi is now seeking a public mandate in the House of Representatives, the more powerful house in Japan.
Since the day she took office, Takaichi said, she has been constantly concerned that the Takaichi cabinet has not yet been tested in an election where the public chooses the government.
Campaigning for the vote to elect the 465 lower house MPs, who serve four-year terms, starts on 27 January. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955 and currently holds 199 seats in the House of Representatives.
A protege of former conservative PM Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is known as Japan's Iron Lady. She came into office promising an economic upturn after years of stagnation and her cabinet's record defense budget approval reflects the growing concerns over regional security.
Takaichi's snap election announcement comes at a time when she's grappling with public service scrutiny, following a series of short tenures by her predecessors, making this election a pivotal moment for her administration.
As she prepares for the election, her government’s current high approval ratings could be seen as a double-edged sword, aiming to secure a definitive public backing for her growth policies.
