Ishiba Dissolved in Japan's House of Representatives...entering the general election system

[Anchor]
Prime Minister Ishiba of Japan will dissolve the House of Representatives and hold the first House of Representatives election in three years on the 27th.

He dissolved the House of Representatives in eight days, the shortest period in history since taking office as prime minister, and the key to the regime's momentum is whether to secure a majority of the Liberal Democratic Party in the general election.

Correspondent Kim Se-ho's report from Tokyo.

[Reporter]

[Nukaga Fukushiro / Chairman of the Japanese House of Representatives: Dissolve the House of Representatives in accordance with Article 7 of the Japanese Constitution.]

The House of Representatives dissolved after reading the dissolution report signed by all the Ishiba Cabinet ministers and three cheers.

It has been eight days since Prime Minister Ishiba took office, the shortest period ever.

With the dissolution of the House of Representatives, an early general election will be held on the 27th after a public announcement announcing the start of the election on the 15th.

Earlier on the 30th of last month, Prime Minister Ishiba made clear his plan to dissolve the Liberal Democratic Party shortly after he was elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party.

[Shigeru Ishiba / Japanese Prime Minister (30th): I think it is important for the new regime to be judged by the people as soon as possible. I'm going to hold a general election on October 27th.]

Prime Minister Ishiba's decision to dissolve the House of Representatives is interpreted as an attempt to ensure that expectations for the launch of the new government lead to an increase in the number of seats.

In order to operate a stable regime in the future, the Liberal Democratic Party alone must secure more than 233 seats, or a majority of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives.

However, immediately after the inauguration of the Ishiba Cabinet, the approval rating was around 50 percent, the lowest after the inauguration of the Aso Taro Cabinet.

In addition, 12 lawmakers involved in political slush funds were excluded from the election nomination, and since the majority are members of the Abe faction, which was the largest faction, a conflict within the party is expected.

Opposition parties criticized the dissolution for partisan interests, ignoring recent difficulties faced by the people, including earthquakes.

[Constitutional Democratic Party Leader Yoshihiko Noda]: The prime minister went to the disaster-stricken area and shed tears. Did you think the election was possible even after looking at the affected area?]

With the dissolution of the House of Representatives entering a full-fledged general election phase, Ishiba's cabinet has been put to the test four weeks after its inauguration.

I'm Kim Se-ho from YTN in Tokyo.