Japan’s likely next PM Fumio Kishida to dissolve lower house in weeks
- The chairman of the ruling party’s Diet Affairs Committee says the general election is likely to be held on November 7
- Kishida is set to be elected prime minister at the start of an extraordinary session of parliament on Monday
Prospective Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida plans to dissolve the House of Representatives on October 14 and a general election is likely to be held November 7, government and ruling party sources said on Saturday.
With the plan, campaigning for the general election is expected to start October 26 with voting and ballot counting on November 7, the sources said.
However, campaigning could alternatively start November 2 with voting on November 14 because Kishida, who is set to take office Monday, intends to attend the October 30-31 summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Rome, according to the sources.
If the official start of campaigning is set for October 26, the period would coincide with the G20 summit.
Speaking to reporters Saturday in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, Hiroshi Moriyama, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said the general election is likely to be held November 7.
A senior government official said separately that the government will have a tight schedule for compiling the state budget for fiscal 2022 if the vote were to take place on November 14.
According to the sources, Kishida will make a decision soon on the dates of the official start of campaigning and the election.
