Noda could dissolve lower house by end of year: Maehara
News On Japan via Mainichi -- Oct 22
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda could dissolve the lower house by the end of this year for a general election if he secures parliamentary passage of a bill to enable the government to issue deficit-covering bonds and implements other key reforms, a Cabinet member said Sunday.
Maehara was referring to Noda's agreement earlier this year with two major opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, to dissolve the House of Representatives "in the near future" in exchange for obtaining enough support from them to pass bills for a tax hike and social security reforms.
前原国家戦略担当相は21日朝、フジテレビの「新報道2001」に出演し、野田首相が「近いうち」とした衆議院の解散時期について、「年内に解散しなければ、『近いうち』ではない」と述べ、年内との認識を示した。
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