Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that he will take the end of his term as ruling party president into consideration when deciding on the timing of the next general election.

“There is the end of my tenure” as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Suga said at a press conference at the prime minister’s office. “I’ll keep that in mind when I consider it holistically.”

Suga’s term as LDP president runs out at the end of September.

He avoided giving a specific timeframe for when he plans to dissolve the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan’s parliament, to trigger a snap election. A general election must be called by the time the current term of Lower House members ends on Oct. 21.

“The top priority for my cabinet now is to prevent a spread of the novel coronavirus,” he said.

When asked about his responsibility for allowing infections to rise again, Suga replied, “It’s my responsibility to contain this wave as soon as possible.”

Referring to the Tokyo Olympics, the prime minister said that flows of people are decreasing thanks to traffic restrictions and remote work.

“We would like people to watch the Olympics and Paralympics on television at home so that we can further contain” flows of people, he said.

On China’s provocative actions in the Taiwan Strait, Suga said, “We’ll respond while defending our national interests and working with the United States and allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”