The general election campaign has begun. Remarkably, for a vote in which so much seems new, there is little chance that this ballot will produce genuine change.
Japan faces important challenges and there are problems that must be addressed, but there are few grounds to hope that this election will offer a path toward progress.
As promised, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the Lower House of the parliament on Wednesday and called for a general election to be held Oct. 27. Having announced that move even before he became prime minister, Ishiba courted criticism for putting politics ahead of policy. But the move is both shrewd — by holding the vote early in his term he hopes to take advantage of the public approval bounce enjoyed by new prime ministers — and smart. A vote will, he hopes, provide him with a mandate, which in turn will give him credibility with his party.
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