As newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba gets set to be named prime minister Tuesday during an extraordinary session of parliament, a snap general election at the end of next month appears increasingly likely.
Over the weekend, Ishiba, who won the party presidency Friday, began putting together the LDP’s senior leadership team, and indicated he may dissolve the Lower House and hold an election soon in the hope of winning a mandate for the party and his leadership.
“I won’t deny there are various possibilities,” Ishiba said on an NHK program Sunday when asked directly about the scenario. Earlier in the day, he said during a Fuji Television program that, as far as a general election is concerned, “the earlier, the better.”
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