Japan’s embattled Prime Minister, Taro Aso, will call a general election for 30 August, says public broadcaster NHK.

The move comes after Mr Aso’s ruling coalition suffered a crucial defeat in local elections in the capital, Tokyo.

The opposition Democratic Party (DJP) won 54 seats to 38 for Mr Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party, ending four decades of dominance in the assembly.

Mr Aso, who has approval ratings of around 20%, had been widely expected to dissolve parliament following the loss.

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