Japan’s Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament Ahead of October 31 General Election

By Aarja Mody, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Thursday, setting the way for a general election later this month as he tries to gather support for his newly formed government.

After winning the majority party’s leadership contest on September 29 and being specifically registered as Japan’s 100th Prime Minister on October 4th, the vote on October 31st will be Kishida’s first major test.

Kishida is pursuing a “new capitalism,” as he defines it. According to Reports, he has proposed to boost middle-class wages and launch an economic stimulus program costing at least $290 billion to help the world’s third-largest economy grow.