Japan lower house of parliament dissolved, launching election race between PM Shinzo Abe and newly formed opposition
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s new Party of Hope poses credible challenge to the country’s premier
Japan’s lower house was dissolved on Thursday ahead of an expected snap October 22 election being called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as he seeks to confirm his mandate in the face a rising challenge from a popular new conservative party.
Abe, a conservative who returned to power in 2012, is hoping a boost in his voter support in recent months will help his Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition maintain a simple majority. It currently holds a two-thirds “super” majority.
A number of opposition lawmakers boycotted Thursday’s session in protest of Abe calling the election and potentially creating a political vacuum at a time when tensions are high with North Korea.
“This will be a tough battle, but it’s all about how we will protect Japan, and the lives and peaceful existence of the Japanese people,” Abe told a group of lawmakers.
Popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s new Party of Hope – only formally launched on Wednesday – has upended the election outlook after she announced she would lead the group herself.
Koike, a media-savvy former LDP lawmaker and defence minister often floated as a candidate to become Japan’s first female prime minister, said on Wednesday she would not run for a seat herself, but speculation that she will persists.
