Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dissolved Parliament. The move paves the way for a snap election on December 14.<br /><br />Abe is hoping to get a new mandate for his struggling economic reforms and is delaying an unpopular tax hike. <br /><br />Doubts have been cast over his strategy after data showed this week that the economy had slipped into recession in the third quarter.<br /><br />Though surveys show Abe has waning support, his Liberal Democratic Party are still expected to win, and the timing may be crucial.<br /><br />“Maybe it’s a very harsh way of putting it but it’s a very cynical move on the part of the governing parties to prioritise their own interest before the one of the country and the voters. And the voters are not given a real choice because the opposition parties are disunited, and they don’t really have electoral campaign promises that are worked out,” explained Koichi Nakano, International politics Professor at Sophia University.<br /><br />Abe said he would resign if his coalition fails to win a simple majority, though experts dismissed this as almost impossible. However, his position could be weakened if his party loses too many seats.
