TOKYO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he is not considering dissolving the lower house of parliament and calling a snap election.
Speculation had been growing that Abe might dissolve the lower chamber and call a snap election to coincide with this summer's upper house election.
In response to an opposition lawmaker who posed the question to Abe in parliament, the Japanese leader replied "It's not at all in my mind."
The junior coalition partner of Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, had previously voiced its opposition to calling a snap election to coincide with the upper house election, due to concerns over the possibility of losing seats in both chambers.
The prime minister, according to LDP officials, himself has also said he is wary of securing fewer seats if a lower house election were called, as the ruling bloc already holds more than a two-thirds majority in the larger, more powerful lower chamber.
For lower house members, the current term runs out in 2021. The current six-year term for half of the upper house members will expire on July 28.
