Japan To Hold General Election On October 27

Shigeru Ishiba, the incoming Prime Minister of Japan, announced that he will dissolve the lower house and hold a general election on October 27. Ishiba, who became the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will be approved as prime minister in parliament on Tuesday.

The upcoming election, which will come a year early, will decide which party controls the lower house of the parliament. "It is important for the new administration to be judged by the people as soon as possible," said Shigeru Ishiba at a press conference in Tokyo, as quoted by Reuters. The veteran lawmaker has already started picking government and party officials who will contest the upcoming general election with him.

Meanwhile, Ishiba said that he announced the election date now to allow enough time for local election authorities to prepare. Despite scandals, the Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power for most of the period since it was launched in 1955, remains Japan's most popular political party.