Japan's prime minister dissolves lower house of parliament for general election

The lower house of Japan's parliament was officially dissolved on Wednesday, setting the stage for the upcoming general election, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeks to secure his party's lower house majority.

The general election is slated to be held on Oct. 27, with campaigning set to begin on Oct. 15.

Ishiba won the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 27 and was elected prime minister on Oct. 1 in the parliament controlled by the LDP-led coalition.

The timing marked the shortest period between a prime minister taking office and the dissolution of the lower house in Japan's postwar history.

"Only by winning the lower house election can Ishiba increase his ability to strengthen cohesion within the LDP. In addition, Ishiba's dissolution of the lower house of parliament so fast will make it difficult for the opposition parties to form unity to challenge the LDP-led coalition in the general election," said Shiratori Hiroshi, political science professor with the Hosei University in Tokyo.

The general election will be the first since the LDP's political funds scandal surfaced in late 2023.

In his first policy speech to the parliament last week, 67-year-old Ishiba vowed to restore public trust in politics following a series of scandals and tried to reassure the public amid rising living costs.

In an effort to address public outrage, the LDP on Wednesday decided not to endorse 12 lawmakers embroiled in the political funds scandal as official candidates in the upcoming election.

"When running for LDP leader, Ishiba said that if he became the LDP leader and then the prime minister, he would give enough time for the Japanese people to consider their choices, which meant that there would be debates with the opposition parties at budget meetings so that the people could learn about plans of the new cabinet, and the lower house would be dissolved after all that. However, now the lower house is dissolved only nine days, or only around seven workdays after Ishiba took office as prime minister. This has led to doubts among the people as well as comments and criticisms that his deeds do not match his words. That's also one of the reasons behind the cabinet's low public approval rating," said the expert.

The LDP, which ruled Japan for most of the post-war era, previously held 258 seats in the 465-member lower house, and it governed in coalition with Komeito, which held 32 seats.

The main opposition is the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, which held 99 seats.

The election is expected to focus on key issues like political reform following the LDP's funding scandals, responses to inflation, and economic measures. Opposition parties are set to focus on undermining the LDP's dominance while coordinating among them.

Japan's prime minister dissolves lower house of parliament for general election

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests