With the current parliamentary session set to end in about two weeks, political tugs-of-war within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are intensifying over the question of a snap Lower House election on the same day as next month’s scheduled Upper House poll.
While CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda has not yet declared whether his party would back a no-confidence motion and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has not publicly stated he will dissolve the Lower House if one is submitted, a double election could result in more political stability if either party manages to capture both chambers, or continued instability if neither holds a majority, even in a coalition.
If the opposition parties in the Lower House, which hold a majority, pass a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, Ishiba and his Cabinet must resign en masse. A new prime minister can be chosen and form a new Cabinet, unless the Lower House is dissolved within 10 days, according to Article 69 of the Constitution.
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