Prime Minister Taro Aso's desire to address the global financial crisis appears to be why a snap election won't be called anytime soon, but political analysts have another take: He just wants to avoid a losing battle.
When Aso became prime minister in September, political insiders assumed he would dissolve the Lower House and quickly call an election. He implied as much in a monthly magazine published in early October that he was determined to take on the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, and its leader, Ichiro Ozawa.
"(My) first mission is to seek the judgment of the people," Aso said in the magazine. "At the beginning of the Diet, I would like to openly throw my policies and the LDP's policies at Ozawa and ask him whether he is for or against them, and then listen to the public."