Japan's Leader Aso to Dissolve Parliament

TOKYO -- Broadcaster NHK reports that Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso has decided to dissolve parliament and call general elections.

NHK says parliament will be dissolved next week, with general elections to be held on Aug. 30.

The report came Monday, after results for a crucial Tokyo vote showed Aso's Liberal Democratic Party had suffered a major defeat in a local election in Tokyo.

The Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner, the New Komeito Party, lost their majority in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. The vote for the local parliament is widely viewed as a barometer for the upcoming national election.

The main opposition, the Democratic Party of Japan, made major gains in the Tokyo election.