Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga signaled hesitation to dissolve the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, for an election while Tokyo and other areas are under a COVID-19 state of emergency.

Suga said that dissolving the Lower House during an emergency is legally possible.

“I, however, have been saying that I will prioritize coronavirus measures,” he added.

When asked by a reporter about the possibility of dissolving the all-important chamber regardless of whether the central government’s state of emergency remains in place somewhere, Suga answered, “Yes, that’s what I mean.”