Another headache surfaced for unpopular Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday as Justice Parliamentary Secretary Chuko Hayakawa said he intended to resign after the fiscal 2009 budget passes.
After badgering from senior government officials, however, Hayakawa later retracted his words and said he would stay on.
Nevertheless, Hayakawa's outburst underlined the growing inability of Aso to control the Liberal Democratic Party, which faces the prospect of entering a critical general election led by a prime minister with historically low approval ratings.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.