Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday that he will not dissolve the Lower House for a snap election during the current parliamentary session, ending months of speculation on whether he would call an election while his approval ratings are relatively high.

The past week has seen a political tug-of-war between Kishida and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan over whether the party would submit a no-confidence motion, and if so, whether Kishida will respond by dissolving the Lower House for a snap election.

“If the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submits a no-confidence motion, I have asked earlier (Liberal Democratic Party) Secretary-General (Toshimitsu) Motegi to vote it down immediately,” Kishida told a press gaggle Thursday evening at the Prime Minister’s Office.

He also added he asked Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi to join forces with the LDP in turning down the motion, which will likely be submitted by the CDP on Friday morning.

His government, Kishida said, will focus on moving forward with its current priorities, which include encouraging wage growth, investing in digital and green technologies, and tackling population decline.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Kishida said he would make a decision on whether to call a snap poll “in light of various circumstances,” which added fuel to the fire.

CDP leader Kenta Izumi condemned Kishida’s remarks, saying that the prime minister himself is stirring up speculation.

“I think that the fact that (the prime minister) smirks and plays with the idea of a snap election is really disrespectful to the people and the lawmakers,” Izumi told reporters on Thursday.

Opinion polls conducted last weekend showed a slight decline in the prime minister’s popularity compared to May, when, on the heels of a spate of diplomatic accomplishments, including a long-awaited thaw in bilateral relations with South Korea and a fruitful Group of Seven leaders summit in Hiroshima, the Cabinet’s approval ratings jumped 9 percentage points in two surveys.

An NHK poll conducted for three days from June 9 showed that Kishida’s support rate slightly dipped to 43%, down from 46% in May.

A Jiji Press poll released Thursday showed support for the Cabinet had dropped 3.1 percentage points from the month before to 35.1%.

The drop in approval ratings was attributed to Kishida’s handling of the case involving his eldest son, which the prime minister dismissed after initial hesitation, and innumerable troubles connected to the My Number card, an identity document issued by the government to, in part, encourage digitalization in public administration.

A lack of details on how the government intends to finance its promise to bring child care spending to “unprecedented” levels, which would likely entail a debate on a tax hike, has prompted further criticism toward the administration.

Kishida’s remarks will now shift the attention to the final rush in the parliament, where a controversial bill to promote understanding toward sexual minorities is currently being debated.