Japan's incoming Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who will formally take office on Monday , October 4, is set to dissolve parliament next week and call an election for October 31, public broadcaster NHK said. The surprise move, amid widespread expectations for a poll in November, appears to be aimed at exploiting a traditional honeymoon period accorded to new governments and a sharp drop in the number of coronavirus infections. Outgoing prime minister Yoshihide Suga enjoyed support ratings of about 70% soon after taking office about a year ago, but was pummelled by criticism of his handling of the pandemic, leading him to make way for a new face to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) through the election. Kishida, 64, a former foreign minister with an image as a low-key consensus builder, beat out three contenders last week to lead the party and will become prime minister as it has a majority in parliament. He is set to dissolve parliament on ... » Learn More about In surprise move, Japan PM to call October 31 election – NHK