TOKYO: Japanese premier Shinzo Abe is considering a snap election as early as next month, reports said Sunday, as he sees recovering public support with attention focused on tensions over North Korea. Abe floated the idea of holding a vote on October 22 or October 29 in meetings with senior ruling party officials, Jiji Press and the Asahi Shimbun reported, citing unnamed government and ruling party sources. Other media reported similar stories but with a wider range of options for the timing of the snap election, including in December. Some lawmakers, including ruling party members, however, have warned about a potential political paralysis during the election campaign period amid lingering worries over North Korea. LDP officials were not immediately available to confirm the reports on Sunday.

Source: Economic Times September 17, 2017 04:52 UTC