Local Media Outlets Suggest Kishida Could Reconsider Snap Election In Autumn

Japanese outlets are flagging the potential for a dissolution of the House of Representatives being pushed back to the extraordinary session of parliament expected to be held in autumn after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ruled out calling a snap election at the end of the ongoing regular Diet session.

• The decision not to pull the trigger on a snap poll has been attributed to a downtick in Kishida's approval ratings, tensions with junior coalition partner Komeito, as well as criticism surrounding Japan's "My Number" ID card and the Prime Minister's handling of a scandal involving his son.
• An unnamed LDP lawmaker reportedly told Kyodo that a recent survey commissioned by the party suggested that it "might lose a significant number of seats in the lower house if a general election were to be held in the near future."
• Kyodo suggested that Kishida could dissolve the lower house in autumn after reshuffling his Cabinet, repeating a tactic used by some of his predecessors to refresh the image of their governments.
• Main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party leader Kenta Izumi said that his party will accelerate preparations for a general election as they see it as a possibility that Kishida will call a snap poll in the future.
• Calling a snap election has been a convenient tool for Japanese Prime Ministers due to the advantages offered by local electoral law. Campaigns are short and tightly regulated, which allows the incumbents to catch their rivals off guard.