Abe exploits ballot to extend tenure

Two years ago the Liberal Democratic Party, in opposition, won a landslide victory in the general election, putting Shinzo Abe in office for a second time as prime minister. But his mandate was less than meets the eye. Abe himself saw the results as a rejection of the then ruling Democratic Party of Japan rather than support for the LDP.

And in the past two years, trust in Abe's governance has faded in Japan. Abenomics, as his economic policies are known, was supposed to get the country growing again. His report card, however, offers little to cheer people up. Japan is back in recession, and people are tightening their purse strings. A national election will cost as much as 60 billion yen ($ 510 million) in taxpayers' money, and amid a run of dismal economic news, ordinary people are growing more vocal in their complaints that Abenomics is doing little for them.

This would have been fertile ground for an effective opposition. But although the shine is starting to come off Abe's popularity, Japan's political landscape has not changed in the past two years. Voters seem to have little choice but to keep Abe in power or stay home on Dec 14.