Japan prepares for national elections after parliament dissolved

Fumio Kishida (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japan’s new prime minister has dissolved the lower house of parliament, paving the way for elections on October 31 that will be the country’s first of the pandemic.

At stake will be how Japan faces a potential coronavirus resurgence and revives its battered economy, and if Fumio Kishida’s government can leave the shadow of nearly nine years of Abe-Suga rule some describe as dominating to the point of muzzling diverse views.