TOKYO: Japan will convene a special parliamentary session on Feb. 18 to choose the prime minister following Sunday’s House of Representatives election, local media reported Tuesday.

According to Jiji Press, the Japanese Constitution stipulates that an extraordinary Diet session must be convened within 30 days after a House of Representatives election to designate a prime minister. On the opening day of the session, the incumbent cabinet will collectively resign. The newly elected House of Representatives and the current House of Councillors will then vote separately to designate a new prime minister, who will subsequently form a new cabinet.

In the prime ministerial designation election, a candidate who secures a majority in the first round of voting in each chamber wins outright. If no candidate obtains a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff, with the winner decided by a simple majority. If the two chambers designate different candidates and fail to agree after consultations, the Constitution stipulates that the decision of the powerful House of Representatives shall prevail.

Given that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) currently holds more than two-thirds of the seats in the lower house, Japanese media believe that LDP President and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is all but assured of victory in the designation election.