Japan to dissolve Parliament, setting stage for general election

[TOKYO] Japan will dissolve its parliament on Thursday, setting the stage for an election at the end of the month that will pit new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida against unpopular opposition in a battle over who can better fix the pandemic-battered economy.

Kishida enjoys reasonable public support about a week into the job, polls show, boding well for his goal of maintaining a lower house majority for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its Komeito party coalition partner.

Voters will want to see a government with plans for decisive action to end the pandemic and rebuild the economy.

A recent Sankei newspaper poll showed that about 48 per cent say they want the Kishida administration to work on coronavirus most, followed by economic recovery and employment.

Kishida's party is promoting his push for coronavirus measures including supplying oral antiviral medication this year, as well as his vision of realising a "new capitalism" that focuses on economic growth and redistribution of wealth.

The ruling party has also called for a sharp increase in defence spending to acquire the capability to destroy ballistic missiles, amid China's increasingly assertive posture over Taiwan.

The largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democrats (CDPJ), led by Yukio Edano, has highlighted issues such as its support for same-sex marriage and different surnames for couples.

The LDP remains socially conservative and, while progress has been made on LGBTQ rights in society, Kishida has said he was not in favour of same-sex marriage.

The biggest challenge for Constitutional Democrats is their low support ratings. A recent poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily found only 13 per cent were planning to vote for them, far behind the LDP's 47 per cent; most other polls record support in the single digits.

Canvassing in many districts is already underway but formally the campaign will kick off on Oct 19, followed by the vote on Oct 31.

REUTERS