TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Wednesday (Oct 9) ahead of the
Japan ese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba , right, attends an extraordinary Diet session at the lower house of parliament, Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024, in Tokyo. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades - albeit with frequent leader changes - and is almost certain to be re-elected.
Later the speaker of parliament read out a letter from the prime minister with the emperor's seal, formally dissolving parliament as lawmakers shouted the traditional rallying cry of"banzai".Polls last week gave Ishiba's cabinet approval ratings of 45 to 50 per cent, compared with 20 to 30 per cent for the Kishida administration's final month.
"It makes sense that he wanted to call a snap election as soon as the 'face' of the party changed, while the momentum is still there", he told AFP. Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party, said Ishiba's"hastened" decision was to avoid being grilled over the slush fund scandal. The announcement reflected his desire to demonstrate to the public that he can be"strict" and"likely regained public trust in him a bit", Uchiyama said.Analyst Yee Kuang Heng of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Public Policy, told AFP the idea sounded like a"blast from the past" recalling the now-defunct SEATO .
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