Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to dissolve the lower house later this month, with Oct. 22 emerging as a likely date for the general election, senior government and ruling party officials said Sunday.Abe conveyed his plan to seek an early general election to Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party. The prime minister phoned Yamaguchi while the latter was in Russia, according to a senior ruling party official.Abe has apparently leaned toward gambling on a snap election as approval ratings for his Cabinet are recovering aft…READ FULL ARTICLE
