Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters the prime minister’s office on Dec. 27. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hinted he is prepared to hold simultaneous elections for both Diet chambers next year in an attempt to keep the opposition in check and close ruling party ranks.

Ishiba, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, answered in the affirmative when he was asked on a television program Dec. 28 whether there is a possibility of double elections.

He indicated that if the Lower House passes a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet, he will dissolve the chamber for a snap election, instead of his Cabinet resigning en masse, in accordance with Article 69 of the Constitution.

“If the Diet says no to the government’s budgets or bills, the Constitution calls for the people to decide,” Ishiba said.

The governing coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost its majority in the Lower House in the Oct. 27 election.

A no-confidence motion will pass the chamber if all opposition parties unite.

Ishiba went on to point out that there is no rule against simultaneous elections of the two Diet chambers.

He suggested that a Lower House election could be held on the same day as an Upper House election, now expected for July 20, if the lower chamber is dissolved after the passage of a no-confidence motion at the end of the ordinary Diet session.

The Cabinet approved a draft initial budget for fiscal 2025 on Dec. 27.

But there is no guarantee the LDP-Komeito coalition will be able to win support from the Democratic Party for the People or other opposition parties to pass it through the Lower House.

In a speech on Dec. 27, Ishiba also said he “may very well” dissolve the Lower House if the budget proposal is voted down.

By floating the possibility of a Lower House dissolution, Ishiba apparently hopes to contain resistance from the opposition parties, which are not at all ready to fight an election.

Ishiba, who is not massively popular, also expects to keep the LDP united toward the next Lower House election to prevent attempts to replace him.

Many LDP lawmakers expect that the ruling coalition will gain strength in the next Lower House election as voter sentiment swings back.

Ishiba’s calculations risk further destabilizing the administration, however.

The opposition parties could go on the offensive and demand simultaneous elections of the two Diet houses themselves.

Many LDP lawmakers could also turn against Ishiba, depending on his Cabinet’s approval ratings, if it becomes likely that the party will fight a Lower House election under him.

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