People around the country expressed disappointment and anger Tuesday over the anticlimactic end to Koichi Kato's closely watched revolt against his Liberal Democratic Party colleague, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.
The anger of many focused on Kato, who suddenly chickened out of the Diet showdown by avoiding the vote on a no-confidence motion against Mori. Kato, by staying away from Monday night's Lower House plenary session, did not vote for the motion as he had vowed. The votes from his bloc may have helped the opposition oust the unpopular prime minister.
"Kato must be making light of the people, backing down at the last minute after making so much fuss," said Kenji Ueda, a 26-year-old company employee who was waiting for a friend in an entertainment district in Osaka.