Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to dissolve the Lower House later this month for a general election seems motivated by political calculation rather than any desire to seek a fresh mandate for policies.
Looking around, the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party must have seen support for his Cabinet rebounding somewhat after tanking amid a string of scandals, and the main opposition Democratic Party reeling from lawmaker departures.
Abe has prioritized "his own interests, rather than putting forward a good reason for dissolving" the House of Representatives, a member of his own party said.