Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is set to dissolve the Lower House today, effectively kicking off campaigning for general elections slated for June 25.
Following the formal announcement of the dissolution at a Lower House plenary session this afternoon, the prime minister will call an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to formally set the date for the elections.
Opposition parties, which submitted a no-confidence motion earlier this week over Mori's controversial "divine nation" remarks, have been calling for a vote on the matter. Mori, however, will avoid facing the motion by dissolving the chamber at the outset of the session.