Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is unlikely to call a snap election later this year and is instead expected to prioritize the early passage of a draft supplementary budget, government sources have said.
In December, Kishida will be focused on compiling an initial draft budget for the next fiscal year from April 2024, making it more difficult for him to dissolve the House of Representatives for a general election by the end of the year, the sources said.
A summit with Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders slated for December has also quelled speculation that Kishida, who has been eager to strengthen his political footing ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election next year, will call a Lower House election this year.
