Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Wednesday rejected speculation that he intends to cave to the opposition camp and dissolve the Lower House for a snap poll, in exchange for its support in passing legislation to hike the sales tax.
During an interview with media outlets at the prime minister's office, Noda stressed that a host important issues still must be tackled before he seeks the public's verdict on his proposed tax raise through a general election.
"I have no intention of dissolving the Lower House simply as a means of achieving a certain goal," Noda said. "There are so many important issues left to deal with and my basic view is that I will seek the people's judgement after resolving as many of them as possible."