Japanese representatives shout 'banzai' Friday as the parliament's lower house is dissolved.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his decision earlier - along with a call for snap elections to be held December 14th.

The announcement comes after surprising data earlier this week that showed the economy had slipped into recession in the third quarter.

Still recent surveys show support for Abe is no where near dire, which has voters wondering why now?

The whole reason is a bit unclear, this person says.

But for Abe, analysts say it's all about cementing his grip on power before his ratings slip too far.

Next year, he plans to tackle unpopular policies like restarting nuclear reactors that went off-line after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.