Ending a turbulent eight months in office, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday he will step down to take the blame for his Cabinet's plunging approval rate, brought on by funds scandals and the row over relocating a U.S. base in Okinawa.
Hatoyama also said Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, embroiled in a shady transfer of political funds, will step down from the party's No. 2 post.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Naoto Kan, who is considered the top candidate to succeed Hatoyama, met with him later in the day and told him he plans to run for the DPJ presidency and thus the prime ministership.