Shinzo Abe dissolves Japan’s lower house ahead of expected snap election
Tokyo — 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, hopes 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 legislators boycotted the session at which the lower house was dissolved in protest at Abe calling the election and creating a potential political vacuum at a time when tension is 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 legislators. Popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike’s new Party of Hope — only formally launched on Wednesday — has upended the ...
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