FILE – In this Oct. 8, 2017 file photo, ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, speaks as Party of Hope leader Yuriko Koike listens during their debate for the Oct. 22 lower house election
FILE – In this Oct. 8, 2017 file photo, ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, speaks as Party of Hope leader Yuriko Koike listens during their debate for the Oct. 22 lower house election in Tokyo. Support for Abe’s Cabinet, the standard measure of a government’s popularity in Japan, had bounced back from summertime lows. The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray than usual after its leader had resigned. Holding off would only give a potential rival, Tokyo Gov. Koike, more time to organize a challenge. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)