Japan heads to the polls, as PM hopes to increase power

People across Japan are braving snow to vote in a snap election called by the prime minister Sanae Takaichi, whose coalition is expected to clinch a decisive win if opinion polls are correct.

Also on the programme, veteran war correspondent of The Times joins us live from Donbas in Eastern Ukraine; and, how photography is defining the coverage of the immigration crackdown by ICE in the US.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by panellists Latika Bourke, an Australian author and journalist, and Steve Erlanger, chief diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times in Europe.

(Photo: Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Sanae Takaichi (C) delivers a speech in support of a local candidate at an election campaign rally in Tokyo, Japan, 07 February 2026, the last day of the campaign for Japan's general elections. FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA/Shutterstock)