Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Saturday effectively expressed his intention to resign to top executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, possibly after the fiscal 2001 budget passes the Diet next month.
During a Saturday evening meeting with five LDP executives, Mori said the LDP presidential election scheduled for September should be brought forward to ensure the party's victory in the Upper House election in July.
In Japanese politics, that amounts to an offer to resign as the winner of the LDP elections is effectively guaranteed the prime ministership because of the LDP's numbers in the powerful Lower House.