Japan Dissolves House of Representatives Today... December 31 General Election, Kishida Cabinet's First Test

▲Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Japanese House of Representatives will be dissolved on the 14th.

According to NHK, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a cabinet meeting on the morning of the same day and decided on the dissolution of the House of Representatives. The dissolution will be officially declared at the plenary session of the House of Representatives convened at 1 p.m.

The dissolution of the House of Representatives is the first in over four years since September 28, 2017, during the Shinzo Abe administration. Under the current constitution, which was enacted on May 3, 1947, this is the 25th dissolution.

With the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Japanese politics will enter an election phase.

Prime Minister Kishida, who also serves as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has previously announced a schedule to officially announce the general election on the 19th of this month and hold voting and counting on the 31st.

This general election is expected to be an opportunity for voters to evaluate Prime Minister Kishida, who was elected based on votes from LDP members and LDP lawmakers.

Prime Minister Kishida has stated, "It is necessary to hold the general election as quickly as possible to receive the latest trust from the people and take charge of national affairs."

However, since the term of the House of Representatives expires on the 21st of this month, the general election was inevitable even without dissolution.

If the LDP performs well in the general election, it is expected to help stabilize Kishida's power base.

However, if the results are poor, there is a risk that Prime Minister Kishida's position will become precarious.

There have already been criticisms that Kishida has failed to show his own colors by appointing many close aides of Abe to key positions, and if the election results are also unfavorable, it will be difficult to avoid controversy over his leadership capabilities.

Attention is focused on whether the LDP will secure a majority of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives on its own.

The LDP has secured an outright majority in the last three House of Representatives elections, including the December 2012 general election when it regained power from the former Democratic Party.

These elections took place during the time when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led the LDP. The election victories were also the secret to his record as the longest-serving prime minister in history.

Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who stepped down after about a year, neither dissolved the House of Representatives nor led a general election.

This dissolution and general election will set the record for the "shortest time since the formation of a cabinet" under the current constitution.

Kishida, who took office as prime minister on the 4th of this month, appears to be planning to hold the general election quickly while voter expectations for the new administration remain, in order to strengthen political cohesion.

According to an analysis by the Japanese weekly magazine "Shukan Bunshun" in collaboration with the Political Public Relations System Research Institute, the LDP is predicted to secure 244 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives.

Although this is 32 seats fewer than the current 276 seats, considering that the cabinet approval rating fell to a poor level at the end of the Suga administration, if the prediction comes true, Kishida may be evaluated as having performed well.

This general election, along with the House of Councillors election next summer, is expected to be one of the two major turning points that will determine the future of the Kishida administration.

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