Japan Press Weekly

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2014 November 12 - 18 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Snap election to be held on December 14

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on the evening of November 18 announced that he will dissolve the House of Representatives and schedule a snap election for December 14.

At a press conference in the Prime Minister’s Office building, he also announced that he will postpone another increase in the consumption tax rate for 18 months to April 2017.

Following Abe’s announcement, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo expressed his determination to inform voters of the JCP policies that have been formulated to recover both national and household economies during the upcoming rushed election campaign.

He criticized the prime minister for his inability to provide valid reasons to the general public why he is dissolving the House of Representatives and scheduling a snap election at this time. “It is only because he knows his government will not be able to retain power without the dissolution. He never gave consideration to the needs and demands of the general public,” Shii said.

Referring to the fact that Abe stated that whatever the economic situation is in Japan, he will implement the consumption tax increase to 10% in 2017, Shii said, “This will definitely be one of the major issues in the general election, so the JCP will ask voters if they are willing to allow this to happen or if they opt to oppose the tax increase and to demand the implementation of a progressive tax system as called for by the JCP.”