Japan's future prime minister Taro Aso should call for an early general election and be judged by the public, Japanese media said Tuesday, reported dpa.
Aso was elected president of the nation's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Monday to succeed outgoing Yasuo Fukuda, who announced his resignation on September 1.
The 68-year-old veteran politician Aso awaits Wednesday's election to become prime minister.
Japanese dailies, however, called Aso to dissolve the lower house soon and take the chance to revive voter confidence in the party's policies.
LDP suffers from public's distrust after two of its party presidents quit politics within the last year.
Aso should take to heart that his party faces a life-or-death situation, the Yomiuri Shimbun's editorial read Tuesday.
The newly elected leader should ask the public's opinions through a general election, papers read.
For LDP, which has been in power for more than half a century, its president should tell the public his political agenda before heading to battle the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, they said.
Speculation is growing that Aso may dissolve the lower house as early as October 26 to call a general election.
Aso had a landslide victory Monday in the LDP presidential election against four other hopefuls, including the party's first- ever female candidate, Yuriko Koike.
The LDP president is assured of becoming Japanese prime minister, because the party holds a comfortable majority in the more powerful House of Representatives.