Tokyo, Oct 9
The lower house of Japan's parliament was officially dissolved on Wednesday, setting the stage for the general election as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeks to secure a majority for his party in the house.
The general election is slated to be held on October 27, with campaigning set to begin on October 15, news agency reported.
Ishiba won the election for the President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on September 27 and was elected Prime Minister on October 1 in the parliament controlled by the LDP-led coalition.
The timing marked the shortest period between a Prime Minister taking office and the dissolution of the lower house in Japan's postwar history.
The general election will be the first since the LDP's political funds scandal surfaced in late 2023.
In his first policy speech to the parliament last week, 67-year-old Ishiba vowed to restore public trust in politics following a series of scandals and tried to reassure the public amid rising living costs.
To address public outrage, the LDP on Wednesday decided not to endorse 12 lawmakers embroiled in the political funds scandal as official candidates in the upcoming election.