Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has promised to resign, but has so far avoided committing to a date. The tenacity of the first-generation politician should not be underestimated, observers who know him say.
The possible date of Kan's resignation has been hotly debated among lawmakers and in the media in recent weeks, attracting even more column inches than the victims of the March tsunami and radiation leaks from a damaged power plant in the north-east.
On June 2, the premier survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote, but promised he would step down after achieving "certain" results in the recovery from the disaster.
Former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who had discussed the timing of Kan's resignation with the premier before the announcement, said then he expected him to quit in the "not-so-distant future."
Since then, Kan has stayed on and ignored growing calls to resign soon, from not only opposition parties but also fellow members of his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).
In late June, Kan finally said clearly he would step down after the Diet passes three bills: the second extra budget, a bill to issue deficit-covering government bonds and another to promote renewable energy.
The announcement shocked many lawmakers, who had thought the premier would quit in June or July, and who urged him to step down immediately.
Yosuke Isozaki, of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, told Kan angrily at an upper house budget committee session on Thursday that he had "hijacked" the prime minister's office.
Isozaki and other critics have also pointed out the loss of support for Kan from his own party, indicating an erosion of trust with the government. In another incident, industry minister and fellow DPJ member Banri Kaieda did not consult with the premier before announcing on June 18 that all nuclear power stations would have their safety measures double-checked.
On Thursday, Hatoyama told other DPJ lawmakers that Japan was unable to conduct normal diplomacy because of Kan's pending resignation.
Japan "is in great crisis," he declared, repeating his call for Kan to leave office immediately. Takashi Uesugi, a best-selling author and regular columnist for online magazine Diamond, said he has known Kan for 15 years and that he would not quit so easily.
Uesugi, who also used to work as a parliamentarian's secretary, wrote in his column that he felt Kan was strongly attached to the top job, after fighting long and hard to secure it.
Unlike most Japanese leaders, Kan does not come from a long line of politicians. Born to a working family, he joined the tiny, now-defunct Shakai Minshu Rengo party in 1977. After three unsuccessful attempts, he gained elected office in 1980, and built his career without the "three bans" usually required to get ahead in Japanese politics: Jiban or base, signifying electoral support; Kanban or sign, indicating name recognition; and Kaban or bag, representing money.
"More notice should be taken of the fact that Kan rose to the post of prime minister on his own merits without any of the three," Uesugi said.
Kan "does everything he can do to prolong his time in office," he said. "That reflects the truth of what kind of politician Naoto Kan is." Some analysts suggested that Kan might resort to extreme measures to prolong his mandate, by dissolving the lower house for a general election.
Kan said recently the biggest issue in the next election would be how to determine the direction of the nation's energy policy in the wake of the nuclear crisis.
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