The impending general election has drawn little reaction so far from U.S. officials, but analysts believe the administration of President Barack Obama will keep a close eye on the economic policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once it is over.
It is considered a foregone conclusion both in Japan and the United States that Abe will hold on to power, because the opposition camp is seen as too weak to dent the ruling coalition's dominance in the Diet and an uncorrected vote-weight disparity favors his party.
On the day Abe called a snap election, Jeff Rathke, a U.S. State Department spokesman, told reporters he had no comment on the move, simply saying Washington looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with Tokyo "across the broad range of regional and global issues."