He Won’t Take Premier Job, Ito Tells Takeshita

Masayoshi Ito, the ruling party’s choice to succeed Noboru Takeshita as Japan’s prime minister, informed Takeshita today that he will not accept any offer to take over as Takeshita’s successor.

Ito, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s executive board, told the outgoing prime minister that any further delay in making his position clear would create an “imposition” on the ruling party. He also asked that a meeting of the party’s chief executives be called later today to allow him to make his decision known to them. The decision left the ruling party with no clear choice for a new leader.

Ito’s move came during a three-hour meeting over dinner Thursday after he presented demands to Takeshita for reforms that he insists the party adopt before choosing a successor.

It was the first meeting between Ito, who is 75 and diabetic, and Takeshita since the prime minister announced April 25 that he will resign because of a scandal that has touched all the party’s recognized leaders.

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Ito, although lacking a personal following, had been regarded as the only party figure untouched by the scandal who commands enough respect to lead the party.

Details of his demands were not disclosed, but the two leaders said they agreed that a conclusion to the scandal must be worked out.

Earlier, Takeshita told Parliament that his resignation is only his “personal conclusion” to the scandal, in which Recruit Co., an information and real estate conglomerate, dispensed stock and campaign contributions to 168 politicians, businessmen and journalists.

Takeshita denied he was involved in anything illegal, but he acknowledged that his aides received more than $1.5 million from Recruit in stock profits, contributions and loans.

Ito has demanded dissolution of the party’s factions--groups of Parliament members who pledge loyalty and obedience in exchange for funds that factional leaders distribute to them. He has complained that the Liberal Democrats, instead of committing themselves to reform, have focused their attention on gaining factional power within the new party structure and the new Cabinet that will be chosen after Takeshita steps down.

Takeshita said he will leave office after the fiscal 1989 budget is approved, a step expected no later than May 28.

The prime minister, spokesmen said, told Ito that immediate dissolution of the factions is impossible. They said he proposed that reforms be studied to transfer power gradually from the factions to party organs.

The two agreed to work out details of a reform package before choosing a new leader.

Earlier, Takeshita said he is prepared to ask party members in the legislature who profited from Recruit stock to “return their gains to society.” He said he will return profits that an aide and a relative obtained in transactions in 1986, when he was finance minister.

Takeshita has agreed with Shintaro Abe, the party secretary general, that his successor should be given a full two-year term as party president--the president of the ruling party is also prime minister--and not be considered the head of a caretaker government.

A recent opinion poll by the newspaper Asahi found that only a quarter of the voters said they would vote for Liberal Democratic candidates if an election were held now. But no election for the powerful lower house of Parliament, which chooses the prime minister, is expected before July, 1990.