ABE SEEKS MANDATE ON N. KOREA POLICIES
Move made after he dissolved parliament’s lower house, paving the way for a snap election on October 22.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will seek a public mandate on his tougher diplomatic and defense policies to deal with escalating threats from North Korea.
Abe spoke at a meeting of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party minutes after dissolving parliament’s lower house Thursday for an election next month.
He urged his fellow members to gain understanding his North Korea policies.
“This election is about how we protect Japan, the people’s lives and peaceful daily life,” Abe said.
“The election is about the future of our children,” he added.
Abe said his responsibility is to ensure safety and peace for the people of Japan.
The election for the 475-seat lower house, the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament, is expected on Oct. 22.
The speaker of the house, Tadamori Oshima, on Thursday read a statement of dissolution, ordered by Abe.
The dissolution of the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament comes more than a year before required by law.
Lower house members all stood up and chanted “banzai” three times in a dissolution ritual, then rushed out of the assembly hall.
Abe is widely seen as trying to reconsolidate his grip on power within the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, so he can extend the term of his premiership next year.
The ruling party, though, faces a growing challenge from a new party launched by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike this week.
The Party of Hope has energized some voters, and is gaining renegade lawmakers from the main opposition party.
Low ratings
Support ratings for Abe’s government had plunged to below 30 percent in July following repeated parliamentary questions about allegations that Abe helped his friend obtain approval to open a veterinary college.
Recent media polls show the support ratings recovering to around 50 percent, helped by parliament’s recess and a Cabinet reshuffle in August that removed the defense minister and several other unpopular faces.
It’s a significant turnaround from July, when the party suffered a devastating loss in a Tokyo city assembly election to maverick Koike’s new regional party.
According to the Mainichi newspaper poll taken this week and published Thursday, Abe’s party was a top choice among voters at 29 percent, followed by Koike’s party, which came in second at 18 percent and moving ahead of other opposition parties such as the Democratic Party at 8 percent.
Analysts say they believe Abe’s ruling party will retain a majority, though some seats may be pulled by Koike’s party.
Voters may have difficulty figuring out clear differences in policies between Abe and Koike’s parties, they say.
Abe and Koike share nationalistic views and they want to change the war-renouncing Constitution.
The main opposition Democratic Party, which held power in 2009-2012, has lost ground largely due to internal disagreements, and is now falling apart, and many members have defected to Koike’s party.
Democratic leader Seiji Maehara has proposed allowing the remaining members to make their own decision whether to leave or stay, setting the stage for a possible merger with Koike’s party.