Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has been in the job for just over a week. But today, as had been widely expected, he dissolved Japan’s parliament, the Diet, triggering a snap election for later this month. It’s the fastest dissolution by a postwar leader in Japan.
The typically short campaign will officially start on October 15, with election day on October 27.
So, why is this election happening so soon after Ishiba took office? And what could happen next?
