No sooner had Yasuo Fukuda formed his Cabinet on Tuesday than attention was being focused on how soon Japan's new leader will be forced to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election.
Experts say Fukuda obviously needs to buy time to revive the credibility of the Liberal Democratic Party and the ruling coalition, which was shaken badly by its stunning July election loss and the collapse of Shinzo Abe's scandal-tainted administration.
But the opposition camp, led by the Democratic Party of Japan — now the top force in the House of Councilors — is keen to pressure Fukuda into dissolving the powerful lower chamber as quickly as possible.