Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso agreed Monday with senior lawmakers of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that the lower house will be dissolved on July 21 for a general election on Aug. 30, Kyodo News reported, quoting LDP officials.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso attends a meeting with his cabinet members and coalition party members at the premier's official residence in Tokyo July 13, 2009. Aso is expected to call a general election for August 30, a ruling official told reporters on Monday. [Xinhuanet.com]

Aso's decision was made after LDP was defeated by Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the key Tokyo assembly election Sunday, which is widely seen as the barometer for the general election.

DPJ gained 54 seats out of the total of 127 to become the No. 1 party in the assembly, compared with 38 seats of the LDP. The New Komeito party won 23 seats, making the ruling bloc's total seats at 61.

After the landslide loss in the Tokyo election, local press speculated Aso could dissolve the lower house by as early as Tuesday and hold the general election on Aug. 8, as the situation for Aso within the ruling bloc has grown increasingly tense.

However, a number of LDP members have called for dissolution to be postponed until the end of the current Diet session on July 28. New Komeito also wants the lower house poll to be held as late as possible for the ruling bloc to regain vigor.

Apparently bending over such pressure, Aso decided to seek a middle way by dissolving the diet on July 21.

"I want to make utmost efforts to have important pieces of legislation enacted, including the organ transplant legislation this week and the cargo inspection legislation," Aso told Cabinet ministers and senior ruling coalition officials during a liaison meeting, Kyodo quoted Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Jun Matsumoto as saying.

"Having done that, I want to seek the people's mandate by dissolving the House of Representatives early in the week beginning July 21. Election Day is August 30," the prime minister was quoted as saying.

The organ transplant legislation was already endorsed by the Diet Monday, and DPJ had voiced support for the passage of the cargo inspection bill.

Meanwhile, DPJ and three other opposition parties jointly submitted a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet in the House of Representatives. A censure motion against Aso is also submitted to the upper house in the day.

The no-confidence motion is almost certain to be voted down at the ruling bloc-controlled lower house, and the censure motion had little force on pressing the prime minister to resign. But analysts believed Aso will use such moves as a catalyst for dissolution and the censure motion will make Aso remaining the center of LDP's politics, a favorable situation for the opposition parties.

Aso's leadership ability was challenged after a series of ministerial resignations. There have been voices from some LDP legislators asking him to step down. Whether Aso can remain in his position until the election day remained a question mark.

A recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey found 44 percent of the respondents believed the LDP would have a better chance of winning the upcoming lower house election under a new leader other than incumbent Aso.

However, many analysts believed even changing the leader could not save LDP's fate in the election.

Aso, once appeared to be determined to fight on, said "I cannot deny the fact that the so-called trouble within the LDP had a negative impact on the judgment of Tokyo residents and their election. In that regard, I am sorry, as party president", according to Japanese media.

LDP already lost to DPJ for the fourth straight major local elections -- mayoral polls in Nagoya, Saitama and Chiba and a gubernatorial race in Shizuoka Prefecture. Also on Sunday, DPJ defeated LDP in Nara mayoral election.

DPJ is determined to accomplish a change of power in Japanese politics after more than 50 years of nearly unbroken rule of LDP. Recent public opinion polls conducted by major media already showed more people preferred DPJ to LDP as the ruling party.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2009)