Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda moved to dissolve the Lower House on Friday amid constant pressure from the opposition and also from Democratic Party of Japan members who wanted him to step down, but his gamble is unlikely to work in the ruling party's favor.
Experts say the DPJ is running a huge risk of being booted from office three years after wresting power from the Liberal Democratic Party in the Dec. 16 general election, which pundits predict the LDP will win.
"It looked like Noda made the announcement in an effective manner, but in reality he was forced" to make a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock in the Diet, said Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University. "Noda seems more interested in gaining a reputation as a great politician rather than doing what's best for his party.