Abe is considering calling the lower house poll when the legislature convenes on September 28 to take advantage of his improved ratings and disarray in the opposition, ruling party and government sources have said. “We have to maintain fiscal discipline, regardless,” Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters when asked about the reports. Abe has told reporters he will make a decision on the snap election after he returns from the United States on September 22. Japan’s opposition Democratic Party is struggling with single-digit support and a succession of defections. “I don’t dismiss the possibility of the voters giving Abe a nasty surprise,” said Gerry Curtis, professor emeritus at Columbia University in New York.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 19, 2017 07:52 UTC