‘Highly Possible’ Hosokawa May Quit, Aide Says

Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa’s resignation “is highly possible,” Hosokawa’s chief personal adviser said Tuesday.

“The prime minister is not the type of person who seeks to cling to a position,” Shusei Tanaka said. “He has made it his principle to live up to his promises.” Tanaka was referring to Hosokawa’s pledge when he took office in August to “assume responsibility” if he failed to enact political reforms.

Early today, Hosokawa denied that he might resign if the political reforms are not enacted by Saturday, when the current legislative session ends. Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayoshi Takemura, however, refused to confirm or deny Tanaka’s prediction.

Last Friday, 21 upper house members of Hosokawa’s coalition rebelled to help defeat a political reform package that would have constituted the biggest overhaul of Japan’s electoral and political system since the U.S. occupation after World War II.

Hosokawa had made the reforms the core of his policy for a coalition that took power after the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority.