Ishiba action puts Japan in poll mode

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, a move seen by officials and analysts as a fast-tracked step toward a general election.

As House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga announced the dissolution, lawmakers shouted the traditional rallying cry of banzai.

"I've decided to dissolve the chamber to seek a direct judgment from the public because it is critical that we continue to run the government to protect Japan and its people," Ishiba was quoted by Kyodo News as saying on Wednesday.

The dissolution, just eight days after Ishiba took office, marks the shortest in Japan's postwar history between a prime minister's inauguration and the dissolution of the lower house.

The general election, the first since October 2021, is expected to be announced on Oct 15, with voting set for Oct 27.

Former Japanese prime minister Yoshihiko Noda, who is president of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or CDP, lashed out at Ishiba for trying to distract voters from the "secret money "scandal, where members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party were found to have failed to properly report political funds. Noda has pledged to push the ruling bloc below majority status.

The "politics and money" scandal and economic policies are taken as the main challenges for Ishiba's LDP in the upcoming general election, where 465 seats will be contested.

Shigeaki Koga, a policy analyst and former official at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said the election's main focus will be on how many seats the CDP can secure.

Koga highlighted Noda's conservative views, particularly on the law allowing the exercise of the right of collective self-defense, which has sparked strong opposition from the Japanese Communist Party, or JCP, making cooperation between the CDP and the JCP in the election challenging.

Key issues in the election will include economic policies to address rising prices and measures to tackle problems related to "money and politics".

At a news conference on Wednesday evening, Ishiba said: "We cannot move politics forward without the understanding and empathy of the public. I intend to ask the people for their trust and, upon receiving their mandate, seek strong support for the policies proposed by the new administration."

The LDP has chosen not to endorse 12 lawmakers involved in the political funds scandal as official candidates for the election, as Ishiba emphasizes the importance of restoring voter trust.

To address the "dark money "issue, the only solution is to push for thorough disclosure of information, including revising the Political Funds Control Act to eliminate any unexplained funds, said Kazuyuki Hamada, an international political economy scholar and former Japanese parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs.

Hamada stressed the need to reform Japan's costly electoral system, as the root of corruption scandals lies in these "expensive elections".

"Under LDP rule, the harmful practice of 'buying votes with money' has been entrenched for years. As a result, capable individuals with visions for Japan's revitalization often struggle to get elected, buried in the political landscape," he said.

"To change this, we need a system where members of parliament are selected through policy debates, using the internet, rather than relying on traditional door-to-door campaigning."