The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Yoshiro Mori, yesterday survived a motion of censure in parliament, but his ruling party openly kept up the debate on elections to choose his successor.
The ruling coalition, led by Mr Mori's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), voted down the motion in the parliamentary upper house. The censure vote was tabled on Tuesday by the four main opposition parties and a group of independents, condemning the Prime Minister's mismanagement of a submarine tragedy off Hawaii in February that left nine Japanese dead.
The censure move, which has only moral weight and is not legally binding, also cited the arrest of an LDP figure earlier in the month, along with the government's economic policy drift, which was blamed for adding to Japan's problems.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei index plunged to the lowest close since early 1985 on Tuesday. The indicator recovered slightly yesterday but brokers warned the chances of another dip were still high.
And in a fresh blow to the beleaguered administration, eight senior bureaucrats in the Health Ministry were reprimanded for accepting lavish hospitality from a business foundation.
Mr Mori ignored questions from reporters at his office. The coalition closed ranks around Mr Mori amid deepening confusion over his political fate after he vowed on Tuesday to hold early elections for a new leader without spelling out whether he intended to step down.
"The very fact that a lame duck cabinet continues to survive creates an extreme political vacuum," said Mr Masayuki Naojima, a legislator from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
Mr Mori's ambiguous signals over the party election were seized upon by the Japanese media, experts and the opposition as a sign the Prime Minister planned to step down.
The search for his successor was in full swing in the LDP, but the party remained divided over the timing of the party elections. The LDP is the largest party in parliament and its leader automatically becomes prime minister.
Young LDP members are demanding the elections in April, while others, led by the LDP policy chief, Mr Shizuka Kamei, are seeking to delay the contest until June or even later.
Among possible candidates are Mr Hiromu Nonaka, 75year-old former party secretary general representing the old guard, and the reformist former health minister, Mr Junichiro Koizumi (59), the champion of a new generation.
"There is no time to waste," insisted the biggest-circulation daily Yomiuri Shimbun. "Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's cabinet should resign en masse now." Mr Mori was to blame for creating a political vacuum, the paper said.