Official: Japan Prime Minister to Resign

[Snazzy]

Source: AP

Official: Japan Prime Minister to Resign

Sep 12, 12:40 AM (ET)

By CHISAKI WATANABE

TOKYO (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose year-old government has suffered a string of damaging scandals and a humiliating electoral defeat, has told ruling party leaders he intends to resign, an official said Wednesday.

Tadamori Oshima, parliamentary affairs chief for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Abe would make a statement later in the day.

"Unfortunately, he will announce that he will resign," Oshima told party members.

...

Abe, whose support rating has fallen to 30 percent, said he was stepping down because he lacked the power to rally people together, NHK quoted LDP Secretary-General Taro Aso as telling reporters.

Read more: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070912/D8RJMSEO0.html

[BushOut06]

1. The Japanese are honorable people

If * had any honor and dignity whatsoever, he would have resigned a long time ago!

[ShortnFiery]

2. Too bad that Bush is so Anti-Social, he's incapable of feeling any shame or responsibility for

the total cluster-f**k he's largely created within both Iraq and our beloved Country. :cry:

No fellow Americans, Lord PissyPants has NO shame. :thumbsdown:

[jobycom]

3. Glad to hear the western stereotypes don't hold true.

[Gloria]

4. This is related to the fight over renewal of Japan's cooperation with

US anti-terrorism efforts. The Japanese have been involved in refueling operations in the Indian Ocean area. A story on this is in the World Media Watch postdd yesterday at Buzzflash.

[niceypoo]

5. Hope he doesn't commit Hari Kari

It is considered an honorable way to deal with shame in Japan. Suicide, that is.

[Up2Late]

6. Japan PM Abe quits after year of scandal (Reuters)

Japan PM Abe quits after year of scandal

Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:01am ET138

By Yoshiyasu Shida

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his resignation on Wednesday after a year in power dogged by scandals, an election rout and a crisis over Japan's support for U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

The hawkish Abe, who took office almost 12 months ago promising to boost Japan's global security profile, had seen his clout dwindle after a drubbing in July upper house elections, but the announcement came as a bolt out of the blue.

"I determined today that I should resign," a weary-looking Abe told a news conference. "We should seek a continued mission to fight terrorism under a new prime minister."

Abe, at 52 Japan's youngest prime minister since the end of World War Two, had reshuffled his cabinet only last month to rekindle public support, but a poll this week put his support just below the critical 30 percent level....

(more at link) <http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-09-12T080552Z_01_TKU002889_RTRUKOC_0_US-JAPAN-ABE.xml>