Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced to dissolve the House of Representatives on 28 September at a press conference held today. The general election will be officially announced on 10 October and held on 22 October. He revealed his new goal, which is the economic policy focusing on the better education and child care and the more effective productivity, as one of the main agenda of the election.   

Prior to PM Abe’s press conference, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike also had a press conference and announced to lead a new political party, “the Party of Hope”.  As some of the Diet members from the Democratic Party and other parties have already announced their intention to join this new party, she will challenge to PM Abe and his ruling party Liberal Democratic Party in a general election with her allies. For more details, please see GR Japan's analysis attached below.