Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto implied Wednesday that he does not intend to call a snap election of the House of Representatives to tie in with the House of Councilors election in July.
Hashimoto told reporters that he "should be concentrating" on efforts to enact major bills currently being deliberated in the Diet rather than thinking about the possibility of dissolving the Lower House for a double election of both chambers.
"The government is responsible for the economic recovery and the carrying out of ongoing reforms to administrative systems, financial systems, Japan's fiscal structure as well as other areas," Hashimoto said, referring to a set of bills that was submitted to the legislature Tuesday to implement economic pump-priming measures worth 16.6 trillion yen.
Hashimoto's comment is seen as a response to a number of key lawmakers and a high-ranking government official who have said that a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, which is being considered by the opposition, could trigger the dissolution of the Lower House and a subsequent general election.
In response to speculation over the anticipated collapse of the current tripartite ruling coalition, Hashimoto said the Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, hopes to maintain its partnership with the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake.