Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) – Japan’s House of Representatives was dissolved today during an extraordinary session of the Diet, in light of the election announced for October 22. The vote will see Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's liberal-democratic party run against the Kibo no To (Party of hope), established yesterday by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.
Some members of the Democratic Party, the main opposition party, boycotted the chamber's plenary session, accusing Abe of opening a political vacuum at a delicate moment for the country.
Speaking to legislators, Abe commented: "It will be a tough battle, but it goes around how we will protect Japan and the lives and peaceful existence of the Japanese people." In the media, the Japanese Prime Minister also announced that his party will explain what measures he intends to implement during the election campaign.
Elections were announced two days ago, and arrive one year early. The Japanese premier wants to obtain a new stronger mandate, leveraging the his positive popularity index and the tensions raised by the current Korean crisis.
Meanwhile, the emergence of Koike’s party - which she described as pro-reform and conservative – has thrown the democratic party into disarray. Democrats, in difficulty due to some disagreements and with a consensus that is less than 10%, are at risk of being absorbed by the Party of Hope.
