For the past few weeks, the embattled president of Japan Highway Public Corp., Mr. Haruho Fujii, has been fiercely resisting the government's move to oust him. A first showdown of sorts came at a hearing last week. The two sides went through the motions of blaming each other, leaving the impression that it was little more than a political show.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Mr. Fujii has "caused serious difficulties in the smooth operation of the corporation," but gave no hard evidence to substantiate its case. Mr. Fujii, while saying he would not cling to his post, indicated that he would fight to the bitter end. He criticized the move to dismiss him as politically motivated.

The dispute is casting a shadow over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's showcase plan to privatize the deficit-ridden highway system. The hearing, held on Friday, ended inconclusively, after nine hours. The two sides -- which once jointly pushed highway construction -- are now locked in a tug of war that shows few signs of ending soon. The land ministry sees Mr. Fujii and his backers as trying to sabotage the privatization project. The question now is when, not whether, the land minister, Mr. Nobuteru Ishihara will decide to remove Mr. Fujii.