This is John Batchel, a conversation with a colleague Lance Gatling.

He's in Tokyo, has been for many decades, a principal in next-year-research,

looking at the new prime minister, Taki Tzu Sinaai, who is intending to call a snap election,

and Lance explains what will happen next.

Also, some amazing popularity numbers for the new prime minister, given the risk she takes in

calling the snap election, stepping aside, standing as a candidate, Takichi Sinai, first female

prime minister ever in Japan, andary Lance Catley more of this tonight

she personally has a very high approval rating as as the prime minister throughout the

electorate she has around a 75% approval rating amongst young people. She has over 80, 85% approval rating,

which is astonishingly high, particularly given that the LDP overall is still poking around 50%.

So they have to have a good showing in this snap election or she's going to resign she will resign

going in okay she's already said on the 23rd they're going to convene the diet which is their

parliament the lower house convene the diet and she's going to call for the SNAP elections on February 3rd,

which is a very short period of time for the new opposition party from the previous Liberal Democratic Party

minor coalition partner for 26 years. They had a schism over some funding scandals that

involved the Japan branch of the Unification Church.

And that sort of publicity has not gone well with the Japanese public.

So the question is, is she trying to do something

that's purely egotistical, or is it a policy move to make a solid base in the parliament,

in the diet from where she can effectuate these long-term policy goals of hers,

which, as John mentions, stem from her relationship with the former Prime Minister Abe.