Abe poised to hold snap polls: reports

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.

Mr 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 (LDP) and government officials and may announce the move as early as Sept 28 when Parliament reopens, according to NHK.

A vote is most likely to be held on Oct 29, the Sankei newspaper reported. An NHK poll last week showed that support for Mr Abe's ruling coalition climbed five points to 44 per cent from a month earl…