Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori departed for Singapore on Thursday to attend a summit of 13 Asian countries, leaving his administration in a fragile condition.
The trip, during which Mori is to meet his counterparts from China, South Korea and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, comes only a few days after a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet was defeated in the House of Representatives.
Although the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party managed to vote down the motion Tuesday, Mori's public supporting ratings have dropped to below 20 percent in recent surveys.