Japan's Ishiba dissolves parliament's lower house for snap election

New leader faces challenge keeping seats after ruling party political funds scandal

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Japanese lawmakers raise their hands and cheer after the dissolution of the lower house of parliament was announced on Oct. 9 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) 

YUICHI SHIGA, Nikkei's staff writer

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Wednesday for a snap election on Oct. 27 as he seeks to win a mandate for his new government despite withering public support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the wake of a damaging political fundraising scandal.

The dissolution came on the final day of a short extraordinary session of the Diet and about a week after the start of Ishiba's new administration. Official election campaigning is set to kick off on Oct. 15 with all 465 lower house members defending their seats.

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