Japan PM dissolves parliament

TOKYO:

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved parliament on Wednesday ahead of October 27 snap elections, banking on his political honeymoon and a fragmented opposition to lead his scandal-tainted party to victory.

Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades -- albeit with frequent leader changes -- and is almost certain to be re-elected.

But Ishiba, named prime minister just last week, wants to shore up his mandate to push through policies that include beefing up spending on defence as well as on poorer regions hit hard by Japan's demographic crisis.

"We want to face this election fairly and sincerely, so as for this government to obtain (public) trust," Ishiba told reporters on Wednesday.

Later the speaker of parliament read out a letter from the prime minister with the emperor's seal, formally dissolving parliament as lawmakers shouted the traditional rallying cry of "banzai". The three-year government of Ishiba's predecessor Fumio Kishida suffered record-low approval ratings due to a slush fund scandal and voter discontent over rising prices.