Tokyo, October 14 (BNA): New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved the lower house of parliament on Thursday, paving the way for the October 31 national elections.
Kishida said he is seeking public authorization for his policies after he was elected prime minister by Parliament just 10 days ago to replace Yoshihide Suga.
Tadamori Oshima, the more powerful lower house speaker, announced the dissolution in a plenary session, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
At the announcement, all 465 deputies of the House of Representatives stood up, chanted “Banzai” three times and left. They have now lost their seats and the official campaign for the new House of Representatives began on Tuesday.
The last House of Representatives elections were held in 2017 under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
His successor, Suga, lasted for only one year as prime minister, and his government’s support was dealt a heavy blow due to his authoritarian approach to dealing with the Corona virus and his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics despite the growing cases that angered the public.
Kishida, tasked with garnering support for the ruling party, promised to pursue a policy of “trust and sympathy.”
In his first political speech last Friday, he said he promised to bolster the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in the event of a resurgence and revive its battered economy while strengthening defenses against threats from China and North Korea.
RAE