TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a news conference at 7:10 p.m. (5.10 a.m. EST) on Tuesday, the government said.

Abe is expected to announce that he will delay a sales tax increase and call a snap election, a day after data showed the economy had fallen into recession. </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> 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 - 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> 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> 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> Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe on Monday called a snap election, seeking a fresh term at the helm of the world’s third-largest economy as tensions with nearby North Korea reach fever-pitch.

Abe hopes to capitalise on a weak and fractured opposition to sweep back into power, as polls show him regaining ground after a series of scandals.

“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 vote but it is widely expected to be October 22.

Surveys suggest voters approve of nationalist Abe’s hardline stance on North Korea, which fired two missiles over the country in the space of a month and has threatened to “sink” Japan.

“The election, which is the core of democracy, should not be influenced by the threats of North Korea,” stressed Abe, 63.

“Rather, by holding an election, I want to seek a public mandate regarding (the government’s) handling of the North Korean issues,” he added.

According to a weekend poll in business daily Nikkei, 44 percent of Japanese 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 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, former TV anchorwoman Koike went before the cameras just hours before his news conference 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.

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

“The LDP is a giant among dwarves. It would take a major scandal to derail the Abe express,” he said.

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.

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.

Despite a recent run of growth, the election winner will also have to contend with a sluggish economy, as the heavily indebted country grapples with a low birth rate and a shrinking labour force.

Abe said Japan’s “biggest problem” was a declining number of children in an ageing society.

He pledged to use some of the proceeds of a planned hike in sales tax to fund education and childcare, rather than drawing down Japan’s massive debt, resulting in an effective stimulus package of around two trillion yen ($18 billion).

“I want people’s support. I plan to compile a new economic package by the end of the year,” the prime minister said.

Although Abe is expected to triumph in the vote, there are question marks over whether he will retain the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to reform the constitution to strengthen Japan’s military, one of his stated priorities.

“Despite the seemingly favourable backdrop for Abe, there are risks in calling a snap election,” said Yoel Sano, an analyst at BMI research.

At a time of national crisis over North Korea, Japanese voters may see it as a “cynical and opportunistic move” designed to divert attention from the scandals that weighed on Abe’s popularity, warned Sano.

Commentator Masao Yora said the election would “create a political vacuum” just when the country needs strong leadership in the face of the threat from Pyongyang.

This “may seem normal in Japan but from abroad, it is difficult to understand”, Yora told AFP.

 If re-elected, it would be Abe’s fourth term.

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 aged 52.

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 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> 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.
The Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe calls a snap election with the election to be held on October 22.