Japanese equities fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday as political uncertainty weighed on sentiment. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.1% to below 53,000, while the broader Topix Index slid 0.6% to 3,635, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she will dissolve parliament on Friday and call a snap general election to secure voter backing for her spending plans and broader policy agenda. The snap vote to be set for Feb. 8 will contest all 465 seats in the lower house and mark Takaichi’s first electoral test since taking office. Investors also looked ahead to the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting this week, where rates are widely expected to remain unchanged, though guidance could point to a potential hike later this year. Technology stocks led the decline, with losses in SoftBank Group (-2.3%), Disco Corp (-1.1%), Fujikura (-2.9%), Advantest (-1.6%) and Tokyo Electron (-2.1%).