As PM Abe is expected to dissolve the lower house this afternoon, some differences within the ruling coalition begin to emerge over numbers.
On 20 November the Nikkei noted that while Abe has indicated that he would step down if the coalition fails to win a majority of 238 seats in the upcoming election, after a meeting between LDP’s Secretary General Tanigaki and Komeito’s Secretary General Inoue, the parties’ leadership announced they are aiming for “an absolute stable majority” of 270 seats, which in practice would allow them to control all of the House of Representatives standing committees.
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2014 Lower House Election / Coalition eyes absolute majority (Japan News, by the Yomiuri Shimbun)
衆院選勝敗ライン 自公270、安定維持へ修正 首相「与党過半数」に異論 (Nikkei Shimbun)