The Japanese government held a cabinet meeting at 9:00 am on February 18, announcing the collective resignation of Prime Minister Sanae Takai’s cabinet. It is expected that Prime Minister Takai will be elected as the 105th Prime Minister of the Cabinet in the designation election to be held in the special session of the Diet in the afternoon, officially forming the 2nd Takai cabinet that evening.
According to the Japanese Constitution, a special session of the Diet must be convened within 30 days after the end of the lower house election to conduct the Prime Minister’s designation election.
The lower house of the Japanese National Diet was dissolved on January 23, followed by the lower house election on February 8.
On the day of the special Diet session, the current cabinet collectively resigned. Newly elected members of the lower house and the existing members of the upper house separately cast their votes to elect the new Prime Minister and subsequently reshuffle the cabinet.
In the first round of voting, a candidate who receives a majority of the votes can directly win. If no one gets a majority, the top two candidates will proceed to a second round of voting, with the one receiving more votes emerging as the winner. In case of inconclusive nominations between the lower and upper houses, the lower house’s decision will prevail according to the constitution.
Due to the ruling coalition composed of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party securing more than half of the seats with a total of 352 seats in the recent lower house election earlier this month, it is widely believed that Takai’s victory in the Prime Minister’s designation election is almost certain.
Upon her election as Prime Minister, Takai will immediately proceed with cabinet formation, with all current cabinet members expected to remain in office. Following the Prime Minister’s appointment ceremony at the Imperial Palace and the certification ceremony for cabinet ministers, the 2nd Takai cabinet is set to be officially established on the evening of the 18th.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Takai will hold a press conference to outline the future government’s operational principles, including her long-standing advocacies for “responsible proactive fiscal policy” and “strengthening information security”.