The Japanese political world was rocked Sunday after media reports emerged that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to dissolve the Lower House as early as Sept. 28 and call a snap election to take advantage of a disorganized opposition.

Major media outlets, including Kyodo News, Asahi Shimbun, NHK and Sankei Shimbun, all reported that Abe is considering dissolving the powerful Lower House soon and would call a general election next month, possibly on Oct. 22 or 29.

Abe is likely to decide on a specific date for the election after returning to Japan from a diplomatic tour to New York on Sept. 22, the reports said, quoting unnamed sources in the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition.

The reports prompted three opposition parties — the Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party and Liberal Party — to cancel a planned meeting of their top leaders Sunday.

DP President Seiji Maehara had reportedly been considering forming a joint parliamentary group with the other two parties at the meeting, but it was abruptly canceled, with the DP now looking to prioritize preparations for a possible Lower House poll, a party source said.

Rumors had circulated in recent weeks among the political elite that Abe would dissolve the Lower House on Sept. 28, when an extraordinary session of the Diet is scheduled to start.

“All the Lower House members now have come to believe that the timing (of a general election) is not so distant,” LDP General Council chairman Wataru Takeshita said Saturday during a party meeting in the city of Tokushima.

The Abe Cabinet’s approval rating — a critical indicator for the arguably populist prime minister — have rebounded significantly in media polls after suffering a sharp plunge in the wake of scandals over alleged government favoritism involving school operators Kake Gakuen and Moritomo Gakuen in recent months.

Meanwhile, backing for the DP, the largest opposition force, has remained stagnant at a level far outpaced by that of Abe’s LDP.

A national party led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, if formed, could be a powerful rival to the LDP, but lawmakers close to the popular leader are still in the early stages of preparations for any launch of a new political party.

These factors have combined to fuel speculation that Abe would soon dissolve the Lower House, which has the final say in choosing a prime minister after a general election.

Lower House members’ current terms end in December next year, and an election is required by law to be held by that time at the latest.

Abe is also no doubt anticipating the looming end to his current term as LDP president in September next year.

By holding an early election, Abe could benefit by extending his party’s grip on power into the waning, lame-duck days of his final term, political observers have said.

A key focus of the election is likely to be whether political coalitions wanting to revise the postwar Constitution, including Abe’s LDP and its junior partner, Komeito, will be able to retain more than two-thirds of the 465-seat chamber.

To initiate a national referendum to revise the pacifist Constitution, support of more than two-thirds of both the Lower and Upper Houses is required. Currently pro-revision forces occupy more than two-thirds of the both chambers, although they have yet to form a consensus on which article should be revised and how.

The Abe Cabinet’s approval rating in a monthly poll by NHK surged to 44 percent in the latest survey conducted from Sept. 8 through Sept. 10 after hitting a low of 35 percent in July.

Other media polls have likewise reported a rebound of the support rate for the Abe Cabinet, partly on the back of the prime minister’s handling of the North Korean nuclear and missile crisis.</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>Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his policy speech at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming Asia-Europe summit.

“I would like to create the opportunity for talks with President Putin,” Abe told reporters before leaving for the multilateral summit in Milan.

A Kremlin official said last week that a bilateral meeting at ASEM was possible. Abe and Putin are already expected to have talks on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit next month in Beijing.

The Japanese and Russian leaders met five times in Abe’s first year in office. But Abe is now in a delicate position, trying to improve ties with the energy-exporting giant while also staying in step with the West on sanctions over Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The prime minister also said there were no specific proposals on deadlocked Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks during a phone conversation he had on Wednesday with U.S. President Barack Obama.</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>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday the government is making every effort to ensure early release of a Japanese captive.

The Japanese government is analyzing a purported new voice recording in which the Japanese journalist held captive by Islamic State says a Jordanian pilot also in their custody will be killed if a swap for a would-be suicide bomber is not carried out by sunset on Thursday, a spokesman for Abe’s office said.</s>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>Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo November 18, 2014. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that he would call an early election to seek a fresh mandate for his economic policies, and postpone an unpopular sales tax rise, a day after data showed the economy had slipped back into recession.

The world’s third-biggest economy unexpectedly shrank for a second consecutive quarter in July-September, a sign the pain from an initial rise in the sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent in April was lasting longer than expected.

Abe said he would delay a second increase to 10 percent that had been scheduled for October 2015 for 18 months. He added he would dissolve the lower house on Friday for an election that must be held within 40 days. The vote is expected on Dec. 14.

The prime minister - who returned to power in December 2012 pledging to revive growth with a radical mix of hyper-easy monetary policy, spending and reform - insisted his policies were working and challenged the opposition to come up with an alternative.

“I am aware that critics say ‘Abenomics’ is a failure and not working but I have not heard one concrete idea what to do instead ... Are our economic policies mistaken, or correct? Is there another option?” he asked at a televised news conference. “This is the only way to end deflation and revive the economy.”

But Abe pledged that the sales tax rise, needed to fund swelling social security costs and curb Japan’s massive public debt, would be implemented without fail in April 2017.

Abe is seeking to renew his mandate just as doubts about the success of his strategy are deepening.

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 50 percent in some surveys but still sturdy by Japanese standards, slip further.

His voter support took something of a hit from funding scandals in his cabinet last month, and next year he is expected to tackle unpopular policies such as restarting nuclear reactors that went off-line after the 2011 Fukushima crisis.

Critics say that Abenomics has benefited big companies and affluent city dwellers by weakening the yen and boosting the stock market, but that ordinary Japanese have been hurt because inflation has outpaced wage increases.

Abe said consumption was stalling despite other positive signs and he would prepare stimulus steps, especially for smaller firms and regions.

European shares followed Tokyo higher on hopes for further stimulus, but Japanese media reports said the package would be modest at around 2-3 trillion yen ($17-$26 billion).

Measures will include shopping vouchers to promote consumption, a government official said.

The sales tax has been a jinx for Japanese leaders in the past, several of whom lost their jobs over the levy. A hefty majority of voters were opposed to raising it now.

Still, Abe took care to avoid the impression that Japan was abandoning fiscal reform despite a public debt that is already twice the size of the economy.

“We are by no means surrendering the flag of fiscal reform,” he said. “(The tax rise) will not be delayed a second time.”

The bad economic news has given the opposition camp ammunition for the election campaign, although the parties are weak and divided and likely to have trouble cooperating.

Tatsuo Kawabata, a senior official of the opposition Democratic Party, told a news conference that the prime minister was attempting to cover up signs that Abenomics was failing.

Few expect the LDP and its smaller ally to lose their majority. But financial markets and analysts are now contemplating the possibility that the ruling bloc might fare less well than initially anticipated and that Abe could emerge weaker after the vote.

Abe said he would resign if the ruling coalition, which now holds two-thirds of the seats in the chamber, failed to win a majority.

“A recession will give opposition party attacks on Abe more salience, suggesting the possibility that the ruling coalition could lose seats,” wrote Tobias Harris at consultancy Teneo Intelligence. The LDP and the Komeito party now hold a two-thirds majority in the lower house.

Abe, who is serving his second term as prime minister after a troubled 2006-2007 term, inherited the sales tax plan from his predecessor based on a ruling-opposition party agreement in which he played no direct part.</s>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday condemned as “unacceptable” the threat to the lives of two Japanese purportedly taken captive by Islamic State militants, and said the international community should not give in to terrorism.

Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem during a tour of the Middle East, Abe added that Japan would do its utmost to secure the captives’ safe release.

The Islamic State group, which holds territory in Iraq and Syria, issued a video online purporting to show two Japanese captives and demanding $200 million from the Japanese government to save their lives.

“The international community needs to respond firmly and cooperate without caving into terrorism,” Abe said.

Asked whether Japan would pay ransom to secure the two captives’ release, Abe replied: “With regard to this case, we attach the utmost priority to saving lives, and gathering information with the help of other countries. We’ll make utmost efforts to save the lives (of the captives) from now on.”

Abe on Saturday had pledged $200 million in non-military aid for countries contending with Islamic State.

Abe told the Jerusalem news conference that Japan would go ahead with the aid, which he said was humanitarian in nature.

“Japan will make as much contribution as possible in non-military areas, including provision of support for refugees from Iraq and Syria,” he said.

“The $200 million aid Japan has unveiled was humanitarian aid aimed at providing food and medical services in order to save those people in the region who have lost their homes and become refugees. I believe that this is the aid that is most needed by refugees,” he added.

Abe, who took office two years ago pledging to boost Japan’s role on the global stage, also repeated his promise that Japan would contribute to non-military areas of the Middle East and seek to play a role in bringing peace to the region.</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>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.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is expected to dissolve the House of Representatives on September 28, 2017 to make way for fresh elections.