Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he has no plans to dissolve the Lower House, brushing aside speculation that he may gamble on a snap election if he decides against raising the consumption tax again next year.
"I'm not considering dissolving the Lower House at all," Abe told reporters Sunday at Tokyo's Haneda airport before heading to Beijing for a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that started Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Monday also denied such speculation.