Japan PM Takaichi to call for election when Diet convenes next week: source

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve the House of Representatives at the outset of the regular Diet session to be convened on Jan. 23, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday, setting the stage for a rare February general election.

The decision, which was conveyed to a senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party member, comes as Takaichi's nearly three-month-old Cabinet enjoys a high approval rating, raising hopes that an early poll could improve her fragile political standing, given that the ruling coalition holds only a razor-thin majority in the lower house.