On October 9th, news from Tokyo reported by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation announced that the Japanese government convened a temporary cabinet meeting and decided to dissolve the House of Representatives. That afternoon, House Speaker Hiroshi Moriyama formally declared the dissolution during a full session of the House. With this move, all political parties are set to begin their campaign activities next week.
The upcoming House of Representatives election is scheduled to have its public announcement on October 15 and voting on the 27th. This marks the first House election in Japan since October 2021.
According to the Japan Times, the focus of this election will be on restoring public trust in the government, particularly in light of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) recent corruption scandal. Prime Minister Shunichi Isobe stated on the same day that the LDP aims to approach the election with integrity and a sincere commitment to regaining the public’s confidence in the government.
Kyodo News noted that Isobe’s decision to dissolve the House just eight days after taking office, with elections set to be held 26 days later, represents the shortest interval since the current constitution was enacted. This strategy seems to be a bid to leverage the relatively high support for his cabinet. Earlier reports indicated that a new prime minister tends to experience a temporary boost in approval ratings.
A recent survey by the Nikkei newspaper revealed that the support rate for Isobe’s cabinet stands at 51%, a notable increase of 24 percentage points from the previous poll conducted in September during Fumio Kishida’s administration. The LDP’s party support rate also rose by 4 points to reach 41%.
In Japan, House of Representatives elections occur every four years, and according to the national constitution and related laws, the prime minister has the authority to dissolve the House. Elections must take place within 40 days after such a dissolution.
