TOKYO The future of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was thrown into fresh doubt on Friday when his right-hand man resigned only days after helping Mori survive a rebellion from within his own ruling party.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka, an old style powerbroker in the long-dominant party, told reporters his offer to resign had been accepted by Mori.
The news casts another cloud over the unpopular prime minister because Nonaka played a key role in quashing a rebellion by an LDP reformist rival and defeating a no-confidence motion against Mori last week in Parliament.
Nonaka said he was resigning to take responsibility for the chaos in the party sparked after reformist Koichi Kato threatened to vote in favor of the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion.
The move came as Mori began preparations for a cabinet reshuffle he wants to carry out on Tuesday and threw off course the prime minister's ambition of using the opportunity to prolong his grip on power.
Analysts have said that support from Nonaka, and hence the support of the LDP's largest faction, to which Nonaka belongs, has been a key prop keeping Mori in power.
Mori had repeatedly asked Nonaka to keep his post in a party leadership reshuffle planned along with the cabinet reshuffle, Nonaka said.
Mori Wants Strong Cabinet Mori met party heads and senior officials of the tripartite ruling coalition on Friday and told them that he would like to form the new cabinet on Tuesday.
Domestic media said Mori was likely to ask key members of the current cabinet, including Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and Economic Planning Minister Taichi Sakaiya, to stay on.
However, two of those three have expressed reluctance to stay, meaning Mori could lose veteran ministers at a time when conveying an impression of stability is vital.
Mori and Miyazawa are to meet in the afternoon and may talk about whether the elderly finance minister would retain the post, the 81-year-old Miyazawa told a regular news conference.
But Miyazawa hinted last week that he would not stay in the cabinet, while Sakaiya told reporters he would turn down any offer to remain. The coalition's two junior parties would also each maintain one seat in the new cabinet, media reports added.
No Respite While Mori survived the no-confidence vote, the revolt by Kato highlighted the prime minister's problems and the dissatisfaction with him felt by many in the ruling party.
Even after the no-confidence motion was voted down, speculation has lingered that Mori might be forced to step down due to his low support ratings.
The prime minister, who has a flair for verbal gaffes, has seen his popularity dip to well below 20 percent, a level domestic media consider a danger zone as it has led in the past to an exit of prime ministers within months.
A survey of 500 voters by private broadcaster Fuji Television aired earlier this week showed support for Mori's cabinet had nosedived to 7.8 percent.
The cabinet reshuffle will virtually ensure that Mori will hold on to his post for the rest of the year, and many analysts believe he may manage to do so until next spring.
But his success in lasting out the year will not mean an end to his struggle to keep his job. Speculation remains rife that the prime minister will be forced to quit to improve the LDP's reputation with voters before July's Upper House elections.
Many in the Conservative Party fear a repeat of the beating it took in Lower House elections in June, held under the leadership of Mori when it lost its simple majority in the house.
Mori's exit may come in March, when the LDP holds its party convention.
Some LDP lawmakers have demanded that the election for the LDP president be brought forward and held then, instead of September when Mori's term expires. The LDP president guaranteed the prime minister's seat due to its dominant position in the ruling coalition.
(Reuter)