With the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Hiroshima Prefecture finished, speculation within Japan’s political world over the possible timing of an election is heating up.
But regardless of whether Prime Minister Fumio Kishida calls an election before the parliamentary session ends on June 21, major parties are not waiting, instead announcing election plans and securing candidates as they look to cooperate or compete against each other.
The next general election will be the first under a new redistricting plan. Ten mostly rural prefectures will each lose a Lower House district seat. Five new seats will be added to Tokyo, two will be added to neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture, and one each will be awarded to Saitama, Chiba and Aichi prefectures.