Japan's Abe announces plan to dissolve lower house for snap election

Local analysts said Abe is trying to take advantage of the recent recovery in his support ratings after a plunge due to the favoritism scandals, while the opposition parties are not yet prepared for an election.

According to a survey conducted over the weekend by Kyodo News, 64.3 percent of the respondents said they do not support the prime minister's plan to call a snap election, while 23.7 percent expressed support.

About 78.8 percent of the respondents said they are not satisfied with the government's explanation on the recent favoritism scandals, while only 13.8 percent said the opposite.

Shortly before Abe announced his plan to dissolve the lower house, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she is establishing a new political party at the national level and that the party will be called "Kibou no To," which means Party of Hope in English.

Koike's Tomin First no Kai's (Tokyoites First party) has won a sweeping victory over Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly race in July, which is widely regarded as a barometer for the future direction of national politics.

The snap election is slated for Oct 22, with the official campaigning beginning on Oct 10.