Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kept his promise and dismissed the lower house of parliament on Thursday. So the country is headed for early elections which are to be held on October 22nd, reports NYTimes. 

Abe's term of office ends in December 2018, but through recent elections, he decided to consolidate the positions of his Liberal Democratic Party, which has an absolute majority in both chambers with a smaller partner.

Recently, the British newspaper Guardian wrote that Abe seeks hardline support for North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program. "I will show strong leadership and will stand in front of a national crisis," Abe said a few days ago about the demographic crisis in the country and the threat from North Korea. He promised to resign if he lost the election.