Japanese Defense Minister Kono: "Lower House Dissolution and Early General Election Likely Next Month"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Taro Kono, Japan's Defense Minister, predicted that if the successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is decided next week, the House of Representatives could be dissolved and a general election held in October.
According to Kyodo News on the 10th, Defense Minister Kono attended an online lecture hosted by a U.S. think tank the previous day and said, "A new prime minister reflecting the will of the people will be born in Japan before the U.S. presidential election in November."
Defense Minister Kono explained, "Considering the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics postponed to next year, the timing for dissolving the House of Representatives and holding a general election is limited," adding, "The dissolution and general election will be held in October to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics next year."
Currently, the leading candidate for the next prime minister is Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. He is expected to win the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election on the 14th with overwhelming support from major factions. Some speculate that if Suga is elected prime minister, he will dissolve the House of Representatives and call an early general election to secure a stable government base.
Regarding this, candidate Suga has taken a cautious stance, stating, "The COVID-19 infection situation must be considered a top priority."
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However, the Japanese public is generally negative about an early general election. In a public opinion poll conducted by Kyodo News on the 8th and 9th among 1,085 voters nationwide, 58.4% responded that it would be best to hold the election around the expiration of the current House of Representatives' term. Other responses such as "as soon as possible" (13.2%), "within this year" (10.1%), and "first half of next year" (14.3%) were relatively fewer.
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