Two-thirds of Japan voters oppose PM Abe calling snap election: Kyodo survey

Reuters
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe address Japan Self-Defense Force's senior members during a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - Almost two-thirds of Japanese voters are opposed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling a snap election, a Kyodo news agency survey showed on Sunday, a day before the Japanese leader is expected to announce an October vote. According to the survey, 27 percent of the respondents plan to vote for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in proportional representation districts in the expected lower house election, versus 8 percent who favor the struggling main opposition Democratic Party. The poll also showed that 6.2 percent will vote for a new party aligned with popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, which is expected to be launched this week. Another 42.2 percent remain undecided. Abe is expected on Monday to announce plans to call a general election for Oct. 22 to take advantage of a rebound in his damaged approval ratings and an opposition in political disarray, ruling party and government sources said. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Sam Holmes)