Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori got back to the business of running Japan yesterday after surviving a no-confidence vote and averting a disastrous split in his party, but his days in the top job looked numbered.
Mori welcomed the defeat of the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion, which became a fait accompli after his reformist Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) rival Koichi Kato reversed his decision to vote in favor.
His first order of business was to ensure passage of an extra ?4.78 trillion (US$43.52 billion) stimulus budget through parliament. Its approval eased fears that a delay would stall a fragile recovery in the world's number two economy.
"It's good that the no-confidence motion was voted down when Japan is confronting both domestic and international issues," Mori said after the pre-dawn vote yesterday.
"Now I should stand straight and do my best to carry on with the business of government."
But the troubles of an unpopular prime minister with a reputation as a policy lightweight are far from over, and anxious party officials moved to curb opportunities for error by the gaffe-prone Mori.
"We will request that Mori refrain from making flippant remarks and from rash behavior which may draw criticism," Junichiro Koizumi, head of Mori's own faction in the LDP, was quoted by Japanese media as saying.
Mori secured the victory in a vote that had been too close to call until a tearful Kato, worried his allies would lose party electoral backing if they cast their ballots for the opposition-sponsored motion, told them to abstain.
Hopes that Kato would win the rare and raucous battle in the conservative party that has ruled Japan for most of the past half-century had cheered those hoping that vital but painful economic reforms would now pick up speed.
"I do not regret that I pointed out the problems we face," Kato told broadcaster Fuji Television.
Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, a party elder and former prime minister, said Kato had won understanding for his views.
"It must have been difficult for you, but your thoughts have gained understanding in both the party and the public. That's what I told him," Miyazawa said after meeting Kato.
Mori was set to join a meeting of leaders from China, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore as scheduled from Thursday.
Despite the facade of business as usual, attention has already shifted to the question of when Mori -- one of Japan's most unpopular premiers in decades and seen as an election liability to his party -- might step down and who can be found to replace him from among a dwindling pool of candidates.
Analysts said the outlook for Mori -- whose approval ratings have sunk below 20 percent in a raft of recent polls -- is grim.
"It will be difficult for Mori to continue serving as prime minister if his support rate continues falling. It is likely that he will take responsibility for the recent political turmoil," Yotaro Kobayashi, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.
Mori received yet more bad news yesterday, when a survey by the daily Asahi Shimbun showed his approval rating had slipped to 18 percent, the lowest since he took office in April
Financial markets, which typically dislike political uncertainty, were disappointed that Mori had survived and worried that reforms would not be forthcoming.
Tokyo share prices slid to 20-month lows before rising to close slightly lower at 0.85 percent. The yen looked vulnerable after sinking as low as ?110.35 against the dollar in New York, while bond prices inched higher.
Analysts said there were several possible scenarios for when Mori might resign, and politicians would be seeking to select the moment to minimize damage to the LDP ahead of key Upper House elections next July.
December would be least disruptive since the extra budget will have been enacted. A cabinet reshuffle is expected then in any case before a huge January reshuffle of government ministries aimed at boosting efficiency.
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