With the next session of parliament set to convene on Oct. 20, speculation is growing that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will call a snap election before the end of this year in an attempt to strengthen his position as he heads into what is expected to be a politically difficult 2024.
The next two months will see a debate within the government over an economic stimulus package and a supplementary budget bill to pay for it. That could be approved by early December, around the time Kishida might call a snap election.
There had been talk in Tokyo’s political heart of Nagatacho that Kishida might dissolve parliament as soon as it convenes and hold an election. However, the prime minister has said he wants to concentrate on the economic stimulus package, and that will take time to work out once parliament convenes. Political commentator Tetsuo Suzuki says that it’s more likely a snap election would be called for later in the year.