Miyazawa’s Party Turns Against Him : Japan: A Cabinet member tells him to resign to accept responsibility for losses. A scramble to pick successor breaks out.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s patience with Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa ran out Tuesday.

His postal minister told him to his face that he should resign to accept responsibility for allowing Japan’s perennial ruling party to split and lose, for the first time in 38 years, a majority in the lower house of Parliament, which elects the prime minister.

Two top Liberal Democratic Party officials were shown on TV exchanging the comments, “Miyazawa’s got to go now,” and, “If he tries to hang on, I’m really going to give it to him.”

And, without anyone waiting for Miyazawa to give the “go” sign by resigning in response to Sunday’s election debacle, a scramble to pick a successor broke out in full force.

The dramatic turn of events erupted after Miyazawa told a nationally televised news conference Monday that he wanted another chance to carry out political reform and would be willing to run as his party’s candidate for prime minister.

Facing the explosion of criticism Tuesday, Miyazawa changed his tune. He insisted that he has no intention of clinging to the post of party president; his term ends Sept. 30. And he assured party leaders that he will obey the wishes of the rank and file. But he still did not utter the word resign.

A meeting of all the party’s members of both houses of Parliament was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. At that session, Miyazawa is expected to perform what now has shaped up as an anticlimactic formality.

Although the Liberal Democrats fell 19 seats short of a majority, Miyazawa had insisted that the party continue to head the government--either by a coalition or with a “minority cabinet.” If opposition parties manage to patch together a coalition, however, the Liberal Democrats’ maneuvering could become little more than a sideshow.

Parliament will be called into session Aug. 2 and will elect the new prime minister “before or after Aug. 11,” said Seiroku Kajiyama, the Liberal Democrats’ secretary general.

Miyazawa’s worst moment of the day came during a Cabinet meeting when Junichiro Koizumi, minister of posts and telecommunications, told him he should resign to speed up the selection of new party leaders. Koizumi backed up his demand by resigning from the Cabinet himself.

“I take the election result very severely,” Miyazawa replied.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono intervened to chastise Koizumi.

“Cabinet ministers must exercise care in making statements,” he said, and asked Koizumi to retract his demand. Koizumi refused.

After the Cabinet meeting, the minister held a press conference to disclose the demand he had made to Miyazawa. He then returned to the prime minister’s office and turned in his resignation.

“I regret this very much, but I accepted (his resignation),” Miyazawa said. The prime minister named himself to fill Koizumi’s post.

Equally embarrassing to Miyazawa was TV film showing Takayuki Sato, chairman of the party’s General Affairs Council, whispering to Kajiyama: “Miyazawa’s got to go now.” The party’s secretary general replied, “If he decides to hang on, I’m really going to give it to him.”

Sensitive TV microphones recorded the conversation, which took place as votes were being counted Sunday night.

Kajiyama and Sato, who was convicted and fined for accepting a Lockheed Corp. bribe, recommended last month that the Liberal Democrats reject any compromise with the opposition to enact political reform. When Miyazawa accepted their recommendation, Parliament’s lower house--with the help of ruling party rebels who later bolted the party--passed a no-confidence motion against him, forcing him to call Sunday’s election.