Trump's victory could affect Abe's strategy of calling snap election

Views have started to emerge among Japan's ruling parties that Donald Trump's victory in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election may affect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy of dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap election.

Abe was expected to move ahead with an early dissolution of the lower house. Trump's victory, however, has resulted in erratic stock and currency prices. Such uncertainties cast doubt over the future of Japan's economy, which will affect Abe's decision on whether to call a snap general election.

Because the standoff between the ruling and opposition camps during the extraordinary Diet session has deepened, there is talk of Abe dissolving the lower house by the end of this year after extending the current Diet session that ends on Nov. 30. But there remain concerns that Japan-U.S. relations could drastically change following Trump's victory. Some observers therefore say that priority should be placed on efforts to build relations with Trump's administration. One lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who previously served as Cabinet minister said, "It could be the end of Abenomics. I think we need to rebuild it from scratch."

In light of the results of the U.S. presidential election, a veteran legislator from the main opposition Democratic Party expressed his view that Abe would not dissolve the lower house anytime soon. "The dissatisfaction among the middle class in the U.S. was stronger than expected, but if he (Abe) were to dissolve the lower house now, a similar thing would happen in Japan and the Abe administration would lose."