Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his ruling coalition partner Monday that he will call a general election on Dec. 14 after announcing on Tuesday the postponement of the planned consumption tax hike, a coalition source said.
By calling an election halfway into the Lower House's current four-year term, Abe apparently aims to take advantage of opposition parties' unpreparedness and to cement his grip on power before parliamentary debate begins next year on unpopular bills such as those related to the right to collective self-defense, according to political analysts.
The release earlier Monday of data showing the Japanese economy unexpectedly contracted for a second straight quarter in the July-September period prompted the Abe government and ruling coalition to agree to dissolve the House of Representatives later this week for the election, political sources said.