Japanese PM Suga says dissolving lower house not possible now

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's office, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan August 25, 2021. Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that he had no current plans to dissolve the country's lower house due to the severity of the coronavirus situation.

The current terms of members of the lower house will end in October, and local media have reported that Suga could hold a general election on Oct. 17.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Tom Hogue)