Mr Ishiba, named prime minister just last week, wants to shore up his mandate to push through policies.
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was set to dissolve Parliament on Oct 9 ahead of October 27 snap elections, banking on his political honeymoon and a fragmented opposition to lead his scandal-tainted party to victory.
The three-year government of Mr Ishiba’s predecessor Fumio Kishida suffered record-low approval ratings due to a slush fund scandal and voter discontent over rising prices. By dissolving Parliament now, the 67-year-old wants to put his party to the test before his “honeymoon” period ends, said Mr Yu Uchiyama, a political science professor at the University of Tokyo.
Some voters saw it as a disappointing sign that he had “yielded to the pressure within his party” to dissolve Parliament for political gain, Mr Uchiyama said. To counter China, Mr Ishiba has backed the creation of a regional military alliance along the lines of Nato, although he admitted on Oct 7 it would “not happen overnight”.
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