Tokyo: According to media reports, Japan’s approaching new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to hold a late-October public election.
Ishiba, 67, was set to take the oath of office as prime minister on Tuesday after winning the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP ) leadership election on Friday.
Without citing resources, Ishiba is finalizing ideas to dissolve parliament on October 9 ahead of the general elections on October 27. Public broadcaster NHK, four major national newspapers, and other media reported.
Ishiba stated on Friday that he wanted to hold an poll” as soon as possible” to strengthen his authority, but he would not specify when.
Fumio Kishida’s LDP, which has been in power almost uninterrupted for years, was led by Ishiba, an ex-minister of defense.
Following a tarnishing group slush fund incident, which exacerbated Kishida’s unpopularity among voters upset by rising prices, he resigned.