Japan Ruling Partner Undecided on Confidence VoteLocal lawmakers from the premier's own party also urged an early election to choose a new party chief to replace Mori, who has become one of Japan's most unpopular prime ministers ever. The potential setbacks coincided with media reports of a fresh golfing scandal involving the premier, who is already under fire for not leaving the green on learning a US submarine had hit and sunk a Japanese trawler packed with fisheries students. Nine of the 35 aboard are still missing, including four 17-year-old students, and all are presumed dead. "We are not thinking of voting in favor (of a no-confidence motion) but it is not the case that we have already decided to oppose it," the official from the New Komeito Party, who was not identified, was quoted by domestic media as saying. "We are not sure until we see the circumstances and the content," he added. Speculation is swirling that Mori, under fire for a string of gaffes and blunders, may be forced to resign by leaders of this three-party ruling coalition who are worried about their chances in an Upper House election in July. Support from the New Komeito -- which is showing clear signs of distancing itself from the unpopular prime minister -- is critical to the ruling camp, which lacks a majority in parliament's powerful Lower House without it. Opposition parties are pondering when to submit a no-confidence motion against Mori, whose popularity is in tatters. FRESH GOLFING SCANDAL Mori was listed as a player on the membership held by a friend's company at the posh Hamano country club in Chiba, near Tokyo, Kyodo news agency quoted Mori's secretary as saying. Mori used the membership since December 1984, after the friend offered to register him as a member using one of two memberships his company owned, paying the annual membership fees of 63,000 yen ($545.5) himself, the secretary was quoted as saying. Mori was the only person qualified to play golf under that membership, Kyodo quoted him as saying, adding that Mori took steps on Friday to end the arrangement. Nobody was available for comment at Mori's office, but Mori played down similar reports on Thursday by saying he did not receive the membership as a gift -- which could make it liable to hefty taxes. "You can start to hear Mori's death rattle. We four opposition parties will definitely knock him down," said Naoto Kan, number two in the main opposition Democratic Party. Last November, Mori defeated a no-confidence motion after reformist rebels from his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) abandoned their threat to vote in favor of it. A new survey on Friday showed his falling popularity has dragged down public support for the LDP to 19.9 percent, the first fall below 20 percent since the party took a beating in an Upper House election in 1998. The defeat forced then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to step down. Mori's own popularity rating dipped 1.3 points to 16.4 percent, Jiji said. One scenario for Mori's resignation has him stepping down after the Lower House adopts the budget for the year from April 1, probably in early March. Mori himself, however, is showing few signs that he is ready to bow out, and finding a viable successor could be difficult. |
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