Japan's New Prime Minister to Call Snap Election in October

Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's incoming prime minister, plans to call a snap general election for late October, according to media reports on Monday, September 30th.

Ishiba, 67, won the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Friday and is expected to be sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday. He is finalizing plans to dissolve parliament on October 9th, ahead of general elections on October 27th, according to public broadcaster NHK, four main national dailies, and other media outlets.

On Friday, Ishiba stated his desire to call an election "as soon as possible" to solidify his mandate, but declined to specify a date.

Ishiba, a former defense minister, replaced Fumio Kishida as leader of the LDP, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades. Kishida resigned following a damaging party slush fund scandal, which further eroded his already low popularity among voters struggling with rising prices.