Japan PM dissolves parliament

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved the lower house of parliament yesterday for an election next month, in a political gamble widely expected to strip his centre-left party of power.
Japan's sixth new prime minister in as many years set the revolving door of premiership spinning despite resistance from his fragmenting party, but after having stared down his opponents over crucial legislation. A later cabinet meeting endorsed December 16 as election day.