On the Day Abe Broke the Longest-Serving Prime Minister Record, He Visited the Hospital Again... Will He Play the October House of Representatives Dissolution Card?

Despite Holding the Record as the Longest-Serving Prime Minister, Likely to Make a Bold Move Amid Various Scandals
On This Day, Visited Keio University Hospital, Fueling Health Rumors

▲Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the 24th, there are speculations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who set the record as Japan's longest-serving prime minister with 2,799 consecutive days in office, will use the dissolution of the House of Representatives card to overcome the political deadlock.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported on the 24th about the possibility of dissolving the House of Representatives in October. In Japan's parliamentary system, the prime minister holds the authority to dissolve the House of Representatives and may exercise this power to escape a crisis. It is said that Prime Minister Abe's execution of this dissolution right has also come into view. When Abe's approval rating plummeted due to the 2017 private school corporation scandal, he dissolved the House of Representatives and held a general election, gaining the upper hand. The current House of Representatives' term expires in October next year.

Japan's opposition parties have accepted Abe's early dissolution declaration as a fait accompli and have begun preparing for the election. The Constitutional Democratic Party, Japan's largest opposition party, and the Democratic Party for the People, the second largest opposition party, recently formalized their merger, which is interpreted as an effort to strengthen their position against the Liberal Democratic Party amid the increasing possibility of the House of Representatives' dissolution.

On this day, Abe set a new record as the longest-serving prime minister by holding office continuously for 2,799 days since his return to power on December 26, 2012. However, due to various political scandals, the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and even rumors about his health, it is not a situation to celebrate.

Public opinion polls are worsening. Kyodo News reported through its own poll on this day that the approval rating of the Abe Cabinet fell to around 36%. This is a drop from 38.8% a month ago and is the second-lowest level since Abe returned to power in December 2012. In recent polls, Abe's approval rating has been dropping by 2-3% each time, and attention is focused on whether it will break the dangerous threshold of 30% in Japanese politics.

The problem is that if Abe, cornered by a lame-duck situation, pulls out the early dissolution card for the House of Representatives, it could backfire. The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and holding an election at a time when Abe's approval rating is not high could lead to a "judgment on the administration" narrative. There are voices saying that if an election is held under these circumstances, it will result in a crushing defeat. If Abe wins the election, he will gain momentum for his administration, but if he fails, he could be forced to step down, so the dissolution card is also evaluated as a "drastic measure" in the current situation.

On the day he set the new record as the longest-serving prime minister, Abe visited Tokyo Keio University Hospital again, and rumors about his health have not easily subsided. Some local media have raised scenarios in which Abe resigns next month, and the successor prime minister dissolves the House of Representatives in October and holds an election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.