Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may strategically use North Korea's interminable nuclear drama to boost his chances at next month's lower house elections. Abe's popularity plummeted between April and July amid a series of political scandals, but has recently rebounded as he advocated for more pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Approval levels for Abe's cabinet hit 50 percent this month, up from 36 percent in July, according to nationwide surveys by The Yomiuri Shimbun. "Abe's tough rhetoric at the U.N. General Assembly and his discussions on North Korea with [President] Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in further bolstered his image as a resolute defender of Japanese national security, which will play well with voters when they go to the polls next month," Scott Seaman, senior Asia analyst at political consultancy Eurasia Group, wrote in a note on Monday.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference with President Donald Trump at the White House on February 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

The ratings recovery is a key reason why Abe will dissolve parliament's lower house on Thursday for a snap election slated for Oct. 22. A lower house vote must be held by December 2018. In expediting the process, the 63-year-old is likely looking to benefit from current traction as well as divert attention from recent scandals and cement his leadership before a new political party formed by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike makes inroads, experts widely agreed. "The government has really hyped the North Korea threat — they've been stopping trains, blasting alarms and sending text messages every time a missile goes over Japanese airspace — so I do think it's fair to say that they've been taking maximum advantage of the North Korea situation for political advantage," said Phillip Lipscy, assistant professor at Stanford University. That may be "a cynical ploy, but it may very well be one that works," he added.