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| Japan election: Shinzo Abe calls snap vote and dissolves lower house of parliament | Japan election: Shinzo Abe calls snap vote and dissolves lower house of parliament |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he will dissolve the country’s lower house of parliament and call national elections next month. | |
| Mr Abe, who has held for power for five years, is thought to be looking to capitalise on improved ratings and opposition disarray. | Mr Abe, who has held for power for five years, is thought to be looking to capitalise on improved ratings and opposition disarray. |
| The more powerful house in Japan’s two-chamber parliament will be dissolved on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess, he announced. | |
| The snap election will be held on 22 October. | |
| Mr Abe said he needed a fresh mandate to proceed with plans to use tax hikes to increase social spending and take a tough stance towards North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and missile tests. | |
| But the decision to call an election has largely been seen as an attempt to take advantage of his improved popularity. | But the decision to call an election has largely been seen as an attempt to take advantage of his improved popularity. |
| The announcement came after his approval rating rebounded to 50 per cent from a record low of 30 per cent in July. | The announcement came after his approval rating rebounded to 50 per cent from a record low of 30 per cent in July. |
| His image as a strong leader is thought to have bolstered support amid rising tensions over North Korea, overshadowing allegations of cronyism that had eroded his popularity. | His image as a strong leader is thought to have bolstered support amid rising tensions over North Korea, overshadowing allegations of cronyism that had eroded his popularity. |
| Pyongyang has fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles over Japan and tested a hydrogen bomb in the past month. | Pyongyang has fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles over Japan and tested a hydrogen bomb in the past month. |
| Mr Abe said the election would not distract his government from responding to North Korean threats, pledging to increase pressure if Pyongyang failed to halt its missile and nuclear weapons development. | Mr Abe said the election would not distract his government from responding to North Korean threats, pledging to increase pressure if Pyongyang failed to halt its missile and nuclear weapons development. |
| Opposition MPs said the election, called a year early, was unnecessary. | Opposition MPs said the election, called a year early, was unnecessary. |
| Some pundits described the election as a gamble, pointing to surprise results in other countries. | Some pundits described the election as a gamble, pointing to surprise results in other countries. |
| “Abe’s big gamble could yield a big surprise,” said independent political analysts Minoru Morita. | “Abe’s big gamble could yield a big surprise,” said independent political analysts Minoru Morita. |
| The popular governor of Tokyo has announced she will launch a new political party to challenge Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the elections. | |
| Yuriko Koike said she the Hope Party would stand candidates in some of the 475 seats in the lower house. | Yuriko Koike said she the Hope Party would stand candidates in some of the 475 seats in the lower house. |
| Ms Koike’s regional Tokyoites First no Kai group won a landslide victory in the city assembly election in July, dealing a major blow to Mr Abe’s scandal-plagued ruling party. | |
| Support for Mr Abe’s party has since rebounded, helped by his cabinet reshuffle last month and fading scandals during the parliament’s recess. | |
| He is expected to put education and childcare spending pledges, staying tough on North Korea, and revising the constitution at the forefront of his election campaign. | He is expected to put education and childcare spending pledges, staying tough on North Korea, and revising the constitution at the forefront of his election campaign. |
| He used the news conference to announce a 2 trillion yen (£13.2bn) package of education, debt reduction and social spending. | |
| Mr Abe’s popularity slumped in the summer as he faced questions over one his close friend receiving government backing to open Japan’s first new veterinary college in decades. | |
| He denied having personal involvement in the project. | He denied having personal involvement in the project. |
| A weekend survey by the Nikkei business daily survey showed 44 per cent of voters planned to vote for Mr Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ahead of 8 per cent each for main opposition the Democratic Party and Ms Koike’s new party. |