Japan's opposition parties on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a day after he reversed his previous mantra of "not considering" dissolving the lower house "for now."
The criticism came amid growing speculation that Kishida will dissolve the House of Representatives to seek a public mandate for his government if the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submits a non-confidence motion against the Cabinet.
Jun Azumi, the Diet affairs chief of the opposition party, told reporters, "It is not unreasonable to be perceived that the prime minister himself is developing an atmosphere conducive to a lower house dissolution."
Azumi was mum about whether his party, which has disapproved of a government-sponsored bill aimed at securing funds to boost Japan's defense capabilities, will submit a non-confidence motion during the ongoing parliamentary session scheduled to conclude next Wednesday.
Keiji Kokuta, the Diet affairs chief of the Japanese Communist Party, also lambasted Kishida, telling reporters, "I do not know if he is trying to intimidate or deceive us, but he should not toy with the power to dissolve" the lower house.
The premier is seen as leaning toward calling a snap election as approval ratings for his Cabinet have been recovering on the back of his diplomatic accomplishments, including hosting the Group of Seven summit in his constituency of Hiroshima in May.
On Tuesday, Kishida said at a press conference that he will decide when to dissolve the lower house after assessing "various circumstances," adding his government's role is to "address challenges that have been postponed" to date.
Kishida, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, declined to comment on whether the submission by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan of a non-confidence motion against his Cabinet would be a pretext to call a general election.
Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito, said in a radio program on Wednesday that Kishida "probably wants to gauge the opposition party's movements toward the end of the parliamentary session."
Yamaguchi also expressed his intention to thoroughly prepare for a lower house election at any time, while negotiations between the LDP and Komeito to coordinate their candidates in several electoral districts have shown few signs of progressing.
Komeito has decided it will not recommend LDP candidates in single-seat constituencies in Tokyo, as the centrist party has become frustrated with the conservative party's disregard for the junior partner's desire to secure a seat in a district in the capital.
Kishida is believed to be keen to bolster his political base by achieving a victory in a snap election before his term as LDP president ends in September 2024.
Fears, meanwhile, are mounting that the support rate for his Cabinet may slip again against a backdrop of public backlash over a series of problems related to "My Number" identification cards, such as worries about privacy violations.
The leakage of inappropriate private photos taken at the premier's official residence involving Kishida and his son has also prevented the popularity of his Cabinet from picking up further, raising objections among ruling lawmakers to an early dissolution.
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