Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election after ally’s exit

Komeito is emerging as a potential political kingmaker in Japan ahead of a widely expected snap lower house election, three months after the party affiliated with a religious movement announced it was ending an alliance with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over differences with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. On January 23, the opening day of the Diet, Takaichi is expected to announce the dissolution of the House of Representatives, with polling likely to take place on February 8 or February...