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TOKYO (AP) — New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament Wednesday to set up an Oct. 27 snap election, asking people to trust the governing party's policies even as critics said the vote comes far too soon.
Ishiba took office last week as Fumio Kishida resigned after leading the governing Liberal Democratic Party for three years while it was dogged by corruption scandals.
With the early election, Ishiba seeks to secure a majority in the lower house, the more powerful of the two chambers, for his governing party before the congratulatory mood fades.
The move has been criticized as prioritizing an election rather than policies and for allowing little debate. But Japan's opposition has remained too fractured to push the governing party out of power, which it has held almost without interruption in postwar times.
Ishiba announced his plans for an election even before he won the party leadership vote and became prime minister. His Cabinet formally announced the election date and said campaigning starts next Tuesday.
At a news conference Wednesday, Ishiba pledged to squarely face the voters to gain understanding and regain their trust.
“Without the people's understanding and empathy, politics will not move forward," Ishiba said.
The prime minister, who will fly to Laos on Thursday to make his diplomatic debut at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, also reiterated that he will balance diplomacy and defense to contribute to peace and stability in the region.
The first public support ratings for Ishiba as prime minister were only about 50% or lower, the lowest levels for a new leader, according to Japanese media.
He is increasingly seen as backpedaling on a number of proposals he previously advocated so as not to create controversy ahead of the election.
In his first policy speech at parliament Friday, he did not touch on his goal of establishing a stronger regional military framework and a more equal Japan-U.S. security alliance, a dual surname option for married couples and other issues opposed by conservatives within the governing party.
Ishiba said Wednesday he is taking time to gain broad consensus on his ideas starting within his party. He is unaffiliated with factions led and controlled by party heavyweights, which some experts say could make his tenure as party leader unstable.
None of his Cabinet ministers is from the late Shinzo Abe’s faction that has been linked to damaging misconduct. He also plans to not endorse some members of the Abe faction in the upcoming election to show his determination to have cleaner politics. Opponents have said that’s still too lax, but Ishiba is getting backlash within the party for being too strict.
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