Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to announce a plan Tuesday to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election in December, according to senior ruling party lawmakers.
Official campaigning for the first general election since December 2012 will likely start Dec. 2, with election day on Dec. 14.
Abe is currently in Australia for a weekend summit of the Group of 20 economies, but he is scheduled to return home on Monday. After announcing the plan, he may dissolve the Lower House as early as Wednesday. The four-year term of current Lower House members isn't set to expire until December 2016.