Mori to resign, but his successor unknown

Yoshiro Mori: Resignation unlikely to spark turnaround in Japan's economic fortunes

In this story: Speculation No win situation Disaffected voters RELATED STORIES, SITES

By staff and wire reports

TOKYO, Japan -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Friday he has decided to resign to make way for a new political structure.

The chief cabinet secretary said in a news conference Mori's announcement came during a meeting with his cabinet, and confirms what he told the leadership of his party earlier in the week.

It also paves the way to move up the country's presidential elections from September to this month.

An LDP official said the party plans to hold those elections April 24.

ALSO The possible successors    AUDIO Macquarie Bank economist Richard Gibbs on Yoshiro Mori's resignation plans 955Kb/1 min. 28 secs. AIFF or WAV sound   IN-DEPTH Mori's difficult decision   •  Q & A: Who will replace Mori?   •  Japan: A nation in crisis   •  Japan: What needs to change?   •  Profile of Mori

Local media reports said it is likely that following the presidential elections, a new prime minister will be elected and sworn in April 26.

Whoever wins the party leadership position will almost certainly be named the country's next prime minister, because of the LDP-led coalition's majority in Japan's parliament.

Speculation

There had been increased speculation Mori would step down, following several recent "slips of the tongue" and other blunders, including his continuation of a golf game after receiving word of the collision between a U.S. Navy sub and a Japanese fishing trawler Feb. 9 that left nine Japanese missing.

There has also been dissatisfaction with the prime minister because the nation's economy has shown no signs of improvement.

But although the end of Yoshiro Mori's unhappy tenure as Japan's prime minister is now in sight, few people expect any turnaround in the nations political or economic environment.

The decision to bring the curtain down on Mori's term in office comes a year after he took the job, replacing Keizo Obuchi, who suffered a fatal stroke. He will leave as one of the most unpopular prime ministers Japan has seen since World War Two.

While there exists a host of potential successors, not one has formally thrust his hand into the air because of the likelihood that whoever takes over as prime minister will suffer just as much of a political headache from the countries spiraling economic woes.

Even worse news is that the new prime minister will serve until September, when Mori's term originally would have expired.

No win situation

Former Japanese PM Ryutaro Hashimoto is the front-runner to take over from Mori

Sydney-based Macquarie Bank chief economist Richard Gibbs said it remains far from certain who will succeed Mori.

"There's reluctance to take the leadership ahead of the upper house (parliamentary) elections, which of course are in July in Japan, because in some respects it's seen in political circles as being a bit of a poisoned chalice," he told CNN.

Few pundits doubt that after the disaster of Mori's gaffe-prone tenure, the three-way coalition that makes up the LDP would lose significant power in the Diet, and may even lose power.

Only former LDP policy chief Taku Yamasaki has said he will run in the internal leadership election -- but only if nobody else does. Economics Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday he was considering his candidacy in response to calls to run by some young members of the LDP.

Among the others considered eligible to become Japan's 11th prime minister in 12 years are former prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who heads the party's largest faction; Junichiro Koizumi, a former health minister; and Hiromu Nonaka, an LDP powerbroker.

Hashimoto appears to have become the front-runner, with Junichiro Koizumi recently appearing to lose some support because of his calls to privatize the postal service. Nonaka, who was once considered Mori's most likely replacement, belongs to the Hashimoto faction of the LDP.

Makoto Koga, the Liberal Democratic Party secretary-general, proposed the election date after a morning meeting with Mori.

The date still needs to be approved by other party officials and a final decision was scheduled for next Tuesday, said party spokesman Makoto Tsuji.

Mori agreed in a meeting with Koga on Wednesday to resign as prime minister after the new president is selected. The party president is virtually assured of the prime minister's job because of the Liberal Democrats' dominance in the Diet, or Japanese parliament.

Disaffected voters

A poll released by a major newspaper Thursday indicated Japan's voters would prefer none of the leading contenders.

Instead, the politician most said they would like to see lead the nation is Makiko Tanaka, the outspoken daughter of the late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. She was supported by nearly 31 percent of those polled; Koizumi was second with almost 18 percent.

Few believe she has the power base within the party to actually stand as a candidate. But Tanaka, 57, has repeatedly been singled out in popularity polls because of her image as a straight shooter.

Ironically, Makiko Tanaka's father came to symbolize backroom power politics before being forced out of office and disgraced in the 1970s in a bribery scandal.

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Liberal Democratic Party of Japan

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