Incoming Japan PM calls for snap polls

Shigeru Ishiba, the head of Japan’s governing party, said on Monday he plans to call a parliamentary election to be held on October 27 after he is elected the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

Ishiba was chosen as the Liberal Democratic Party’s leader on Friday and is assured to also succeed Fumio Kishida as Prime Minister because the party’s coalition controls parliament.

Ishiba mentioned the election date as he announced his top party leadership lineup Monday ahead of forming his Cabinet. The plan is not official since he is not Prime Minister yet, but Ishiba said he mentioned the date early for the logistical convenience of those who have to prepare on relatively short notice.

Considered a defence policy expert, Ishiba secured a come-from-behind win against Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who hoped to become the country’s first female prime minister, in Friday’s vote.

The LDP has had a nearly unbroke tenure governing Japan since World War II. The party members may have seen Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in pushing back challenges by the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from corruption scandals that drove down outgoing Kishida’s popularity.