Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) arrives for a lower house plenary session at the parliament in Tokyo November 21, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved parliament’s lower house for an election on Friday, seeking a fresh mandate for his struggling Abenomics revival strategy just two years after he returned to power promising that “Japan is Back”.

The speaker of the lower house read the dissolution proclamation to a plenary session of the chamber.

No election for parliament’s lower house needed to be held until late 2016. But Abe is hoping to cement his grip on power before his support ratings, now below 40 percent in some surveys but still sturdy by Japanese standards, slip further.

The date of the election, expected to be on Dec. 14, will officially be set at a cabinet meeting in the afternoon. </s> As per Reuters report, "Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering calling a snap election for as early as next month to take advantage of his improved approval ratings and disarray in the main opposition party, government and ruling party."

Abe told executives of his Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, that he might dissolve parliament's lower house for a snap poll after the legislature convenes for an extra session from Sept. 28.

Abe's ratings had sunk below 30 percent in some surveys in July, but have now recovered to 50 percent in some polls. </s> The Japanese political world was rocked Sunday after media reports emerged that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to dissolve the Lower House as early as Sept. 28 and call a snap election to take advantage of a disorganized opposition.

Major media outlets, including Kyodo News, Asahi Shimbun, NHK and Sankei Shimbun, all reported that Abe is considering dissolving the powerful Lower House soon and would call a general election next month, possibly on Oct. 22 or 29.

Abe is likely to decide on a specific date for the election after returning to Japan from a diplomatic tour to New York on Sept. 22, the reports said, quoting unnamed sources in the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition.

The reports prompted three opposition parties — the Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party and Liberal Party — to cancel a planned meeting of their top leaders Sunday.

DP President Seiji Maehara had reportedly been considering forming a joint parliamentary group with the other two parties at the meeting, but it was abruptly canceled, with the DP now looking to prioritize preparations for a possible Lower House poll, a party source said.

Rumors had circulated in recent weeks among the political elite that Abe would dissolve the Lower House on Sept. 28, when an extraordinary session of the Diet is scheduled to start.

“All the Lower House members now have come to believe that the timing (of a general election) is not so distant,” LDP General Council chairman Wataru Takeshita said Saturday during a party meeting in the city of Tokushima.

The Abe Cabinet’s approval rating — a critical indicator for the arguably populist prime minister — have rebounded significantly in media polls after suffering a sharp plunge in the wake of scandals over alleged government favoritism involving school operators Kake Gakuen and Moritomo Gakuen in recent months.

Meanwhile, backing for the DP, the largest opposition force, has remained stagnant at a level far outpaced by that of Abe’s LDP.

A national party led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, if formed, could be a powerful rival to the LDP, but lawmakers close to the popular leader are still in the early stages of preparations for any launch of a new political party.

These factors have combined to fuel speculation that Abe would soon dissolve the Lower House, which has the final say in choosing a prime minister after a general election.

Lower House members’ current terms end in December next year, and an election is required by law to be held by that time at the latest.

Abe is also no doubt anticipating the looming end to his current term as LDP president in September next year.

By holding an early election, Abe could benefit by extending his party’s grip on power into the waning, lame-duck days of his final term, political observers have said.

A key focus of the election is likely to be whether political coalitions wanting to revise the postwar Constitution, including Abe’s LDP and its junior partner, Komeito, will be able to retain more than two-thirds of the 465-seat chamber.

To initiate a national referendum to revise the pacifist Constitution, support of more than two-thirds of both the Lower and Upper Houses is required. Currently pro-revision forces occupy more than two-thirds of the both chambers, although they have yet to form a consensus on which article should be revised and how.

The Abe Cabinet’s approval rating in a monthly poll by NHK surged to 44 percent in the latest survey conducted from Sept. 8 through Sept. 10 after hitting a low of 35 percent in July.

Other media polls have likewise reported a rebound of the support rate for the Abe Cabinet, partly on the back of the prime minister’s handling of the North Korean nuclear and missile crisis. </s> Shinzo Abe says he will dissolve lower house of parliament and call elections in October.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will dissolve the lower house of parliament and call fresh elections in October.

Abe said at a news conference on Monday that he would dissolve the more powerful house in Japan's two-chamber parliament on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess.

"I will dissolve the House of Representatives on the 28th" of September, Abe told reporters, a precursor to a general election.

The prime minister did not give a date for the election but local media reported it would likely take place on October 22.

Surveys suggest voters approve of the hardline stance taken by the nationalist Abe on North Korea, which fired two missiles over the country within a month and has threatened to "sink" Japan.

According to a weekend poll in business daily Nikkei, 44 percent of voters plan to vote for Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), while only eight percent favoured the main opposition Democratic Party.

Nevertheless, one fifth of those polled said they were still undecided, potentially opening the door for gains by a new party formed by allies of the popular mayor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, which will field dozens of candidates.

Koike's Tomin First no Kai (Tokyo Residents First) party humiliated Abe and the LDP in local elections in July, but analysts say the new grouping has not had time to lay a national foundation to mount a serious challenge to the prime minister.

In an apparent bid to steal Abe's limelight, Koike went before the cameras just hours before his announcement to announce she was creating a national political party called "Kibo no To" (Party of Hope).

"Japan is facing a difficult time considering the situation in North Korea. Economically, the world is making a big move while Japan's presence is gradually declining," said Koike.

"Can we continue letting (the existing lawmakers) handle politics?"

But Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Japan, said there was "no opposition worthy of the name in Japan".

The winner of the expected snap election faces a daunting in-tray of challenges ranging from an unprecedented crisis with North Korea to reviving the once world-beating Japanese economy.

In addition to threats to destroy Japan, Pyongyang has fired two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido in the space of less than a month.

 

However, the North Korea crisis appears to have given the hawkish Abe a welcome boost in the polls following a series of scandals, including allegations he improperly favoured a friend in a business deal.

Abe, the third generation of a powerful political family, appeared to be groomed for power from an early age. He was the country's youngest prime minister when he first won the top job.

Abe was the first world leader to cultivate close relations with US President Donald Trump, meeting the tycoon in Trump Tower even before he was inaugurated. </s> Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Monday he will call a snap election for parliament's more powerful lower house for next month.

Abe said at a news conference that he will dissolve the chamber on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess. The election is to be held October 22.

Support ratings for Abe's government have started to rebound after attacks on him over cronyism scandals faded during parliament's recess. Also, opposition parties are regrouping and unprepared for an election.

Opposition lawmakers have said there is no need to hold an election now.

Tokyo's popular governor announced earlier on Monday that she is launching a new political party to challenge Abe's ruling party in the election.

Yuriko Koike said she is heading the Hope Party and plans to send candidates to vie for some of the 475 seats in the lower house.

She said her party will be conservative and push for transparency in government, women's advancement, elimination of nuclear energy and other reforms. Several parliamentarians, including defectors from the main opposition Democratic Party, have announced their intention to join her party.

"This is going to be a new force formed by members aiming to achieve reforms and conservativism," Koike said. "We are going to create a Japan where there is hope for everyone that tomorrow will certainly be better than today."

Koike's regional Tokyoites First no Kai group won a landslide victory in the city assembly election in July, dealing a major blow to Abe's party. On Monday, she reminded voters of the scandals that led Abe's government's support ratings to fall below 30% in July.

Support for Abe's party has since rebounded, helped somewhat by a Cabinet reshuffle last month.

The Democrats, which held power in 2009-2012, have lost ground since then, largely due to party disagreements. </s> TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday he will call an early election for parliament's more powerful lower house for next month.

Abe said at a news conference that he will dissolve the 475-seat chamber on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess. The election is to be held Oct. 22.

Support ratings for Abe's government have started to rebound after attacks on him over cronyism scandals faded during the recess. Also, opposition parties are regrouping and unprepared for an election. Opposition lawmakers have said there is no need to hold an election now.

Abe said he was seeking a mandate for his plans to use new tax revenues for education and elderly care, and for his defence policy toward North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear threat, saying the situation is tantamount to a national crisis.

"I will tackle the national crisis with my strong leadership," Abe said.

"I expect opposition criticism is going to focus on (the scandals), and it's going to be a very difficult election," Abe said. He said he will step down as prime minister if his Liberal Democratic Party fails to win a majority, or at least 233 seats, to stay in power.

Analysts believe his ruling Liberal Democratic Party will retain a majority, but could lose the two-thirds majority it currently holds with its coalition partner, the Komei party. Still, a big enough victory could help Abe extend his hold on power. His three-year term as party leader ends next September, and he will have to fend off any challengers from within the LDP to remain prime minister.

"For Mr. Abe, now is the time. He is taking advantage of unprepared opposition parties as he seeks to prolong his leadership," said Yu Uchiyama, a University of Tokyo politics professor.

Support ratings for his government plunged to below 30 per cent in July following repeated parliamentary questions about allegations that Abe helped his friend obtain approval for a veterinary college.

Recent media polls show the support ratings recovering to around 50 per cent, helped by parliament's recess and a Cabinet reshuffle in August that removed the defence minister and several other unpopular ministers. A Nikkei newspaper survey published Monday showed that 44 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Abe's party in the election, followed by just 8 per cent for two opposition parties. </s> In this September 7, 2017 file photo, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe listens during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia. | Photo Credit: AP

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will decide on the timing of a snap general election after he returns on Friday from a trip this week to address the United Nations.

“Regarding the dissolution of the lower house, I would like to refrain from commenting on every question, but I would like to make a decision when I return home,” Mr. Abe told reporters on Monday as he left for New York, according to a Foreign Ministry transcript.

Mr. Abe is considering calling a general election, the third since he swept to power in December 2012, as early as Oct. 22, to take advantage of a rebound in his approval ratings after a series of scandals for this coalition government, and disarray in the main opposition party, government and ruling party sources told Reuters on Sunday.

Mr. Abe is scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly and the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, and is seeking to arrange meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in before returning to Japan on Friday.

An early vote would take advantage of defections in opposition Democratic Party and could also dilute a potential challenge from an embryonic party that allies of popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, an ex-LDP lawmaker, are trying to form.

Mr. Abe’s coalition would be likely to lose its two-thirds “super majority” in the lower house but keep a simple majority, political sources say. </s> Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may hold a snap general election next month, local media reported, a move that would allow him to seize on opposition disarray and growing support for his handling of the North Korea crisis.

Abe appears increasingly inclined to call an election amid a recovery in public support following a spate of scandals, public broadcaster NHK reported, without saying where it obtained the information. He’ll make a decision after talks with senior Liberal Democratic Party and government officials and may announce the move as early as 28 September when parliament reopens, according to NHK.

A vote is most likely to be held on 29 October, the Sankei newspaper reported. An NHK poll last week showed that support for Abe’s ruling coalition climbed 5 points to 44% from a month earlier, with approval exceeding disapproval for the first time in three months. Abe has already consulted with his government coalition partner Komeito, according to NHK.

A general election must be held by the end of 2018.

North Korea’s recent spate of missile tests has unnerved Japanese voters and more than two-thirds of respondents to the NHK poll approve of Abe’s strong line on the isolated nation. The main opposition Democratic Party appears to be unraveling with the resignation of several members since a new leader was voted in earlier this month.

“The Democratic Party is in terrible shape, so there is no opposition to Abe,” Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University’s Japan campus in Tokyo, said by email. “Crises such as that on the Korean Peninsula are generally good for incumbents. You can look like you’re in charge.”

Koichi Hagiuda, a senior LDP executive, said on Fuji Television on Sunday morning that while a decision to call a snap election rests with Abe, the party has to be ready for a vote at any time. A spokesman for the prime minister’s office said that dissolving parliament for an election is the sole prerogative of the prime minister.

Even so, some members of Abe’s party are more skeptical. One senior official, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private, said a snap election may be a gamble because the ruling coalition could lose its two-thirds majority. This could slow the debate on changing the pacifist constitution to make clear the legitimacy of the nation’s armed forces, the official said.

“There is also a real chance that a snap election would lead to his undoing,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo. “Calling a premature election more than a year ahead of the end of the term is purely on the basis of self-interested political calculation.”

Abe suffered a heavy defeat in an election for the local Tokyo assembly in July at the hands of a new party formed by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. This was blamed on cronyism scandals that tarnished Abe’s image. Koike’s Tomin First (Tokyo Residents First) party has yet to create a strong national base.

Temple University’s Dujarric said that Koike wouldn’t have time to prepare a challenge to Abe. Bloomberg </s> TOKYO (AP) — A surge of popularity for a freshly minted opposition party in Japan is making Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to call a snap election look riskier than initially thought.

Abe dissolved the lower house of parliament Thursday, setting the stage for an Oct. 22 vote.

The Party of Hope, launched earlier this week by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, may not dethrone Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party but analysts say it could put a dent in the LDP’s majority. A major setback could derail Abe’s presumed hope to extend his rule for three more years at a party leadership meeting next year.

Minutes after the lower house dissolution, Abe made a fiery speech to party members. He said he is seeking a public mandate on his tough diplomatic and defense policies to deal with escalating threats from North Korea, and that party members would have to relay his message to win voter support during the campaign.

“This election is about how we protect Japan, the people’s lives and peaceful daily life,” Abe said. “The election is about the future of our children.”

Abe’s decision to dissolve parliament is widely seen as an attempt to reconsolidate his hold on power within the LDP, after a series of scandals and missteps earlier this year. A big enough victory could help ensure his re-election as party leader in September 2018.

The move is not without risks, but analysts say the timing may be better now than later. The Democratic Party, the largest opposition group, is in disarray, and the sudden election gives the Party of Hope little time to organize candidates and a campaign strategy.

Media polls, though, show the new party off to a respectable start, though still trailing the LDP.

Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University’s Japan Campus in Tokyo, called Koike’s new party a game changer.

“I think it is really bad news for Abe,” he said. “She doesn’t actually have to win, but she has to inflict a bloody nose on Abe … If her party does better than expected, expect the long knives to come out in the LDP, and Abe could be ushered to the exit.”

Koike, at a news conference, denied speculation that she might run for parliament herself. “I will stay in the city and put my energy to lead Tokyo’s preparations ahead of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics,” she said.

Still, a relatively good showing by her party could allow it to influence Abe on policies such as constitutional change, an issue both politicians have an interest in, said Stephen Nagy, a professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Working in Abe’s favor, he said, are the LDP’s nationwide electoral organization and his handling of North Korea, which has sent two missiles over Japan in recent tests. “Another missile test would likely put him in the limelight further, casting a shadow on the Party of Hope’s policy credentials,” Nagy said.

The Democratic Party, whose predecessor party held power in 2009-2012, is splintering, and many members have defected to Koike’s party. Party leader Seiji Maehara said the Democrats would do whatever it takes to bring down the Abe government.

Lower house members all stood up and chanted “banzai” three times in a dissolution ritual, then rushed out of the assembly hall. The other chamber, the less-powerful upper house, will not be up for election but remain closed until parliament is reconvened after the vote.

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Prime Minister Shinzō Abe dissolves the lower house of parliament prior to the October 22 election.