Ishiba Unveils Plans to Hold General Election Oct. 27

Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)--Shigeru Ishiba, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's new leader and Japan's incoming prime minister, unveiled plans at a press conference Monday to hold a general election on Oct. 27.

Ishiba is expected to dissolve the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, on Oct. 9 for a snap election for which the official campaign period would begin on Oct. 15.

"It's important for a new administration to receive the judgment of the people as early as possible," Ishiba said after launching the LDP's new leadership team earlier on Monday.

Ishiba, who was elected LDP leader on Friday, is all but certain to be named prime minister to succeed Fumio Kishida on Tuesday at an extraordinary Diet session to be convened that day. He will launch his cabinet later on Tuesday.

At Monday's press conference, the LDP chief said he knew that it was unusual for an incoming prime minister to announce plans for a Lower House dissolution before taking office, but he explained that he did this to give election administration commissions around the country time to prepare for the general election.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]