Japan dissolves lower house – polls

TOKYO: Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament was dissolved yesterday in a formal step for an October 31 general election that could determine how long Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remains in office.

The election comes a little more than three weeks after Kishida took office as prime minister. Any major loss of seats could undermine the premier’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s faith in his leadership, increasing the chances he’ll be dispatched through the “revolving door” that claimed six Japanese premiers between 2007-2012.

He wants to maintain his ruling coalitions.