Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori plunged further into crisis Wednesday as some of his closest allies from within his own party turned against him and joined a chorus of resignation calls.
The surprise revolt by members the mainstream faction of Mori's Liberal Democratic Party came just 24 hours after leaders of the party's internal factions reaffirmed their support for the Mori administration.
All the major Japanese dailies gave front page coverage to the younger members of the largest mainstream faction taking turns to demand Mori's resignation during a closed-door meeting late Tuesday.
"We will unite in our response, but this does not mean we support Prime Minister Mori," a senior faction member was quoted by Jiji Press news agency as saying.
The fresh threat added fuel to the ruling party's internecine battle as Mori's chief rival within the LDP, Koichi Kato vowed to back a no-confidence motion which opposition parties plan to submit to the current Diet session.
"This is delightful news. A very big step," Kato, a former LDP secretary general told reporters.
"What is most important is how the underlying plot of the big drama turns out.
"It remains to be seen how people will play their role in the second and third chapters," he said, according to Jiji Press.
The latest signs of internal revolt surfaced hours after Mori left Tokyo for Brunei, where he is visiting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The prime minister had little to say.
"I entrust everything to the party's executive board," the premier was quoted as saying by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.
"I fulfill my duty by focusing solely on the national interest," he said.
But Mori's right-hand man rushed to brush aside the mounting concerns for the premier's future.
"I have no doubt that we will be able to obtain approval" for Mori's continued leadership from the largest LDP faction, Fukuda told a regular news conference.
"We cannot get though this crucial time unless the ruling party stays united. I would like to seek understanding and cooperation from the members," he added.
The leader of another mutinous faction, Taku Yamazaki, had earlier pledged the support of his 19 LDP members for Kato Monday.
Together the two groups total 64 deputies, enough to unseat Mori if they and all the 190 opposition members in the 480-seat lower house vote in favor of the no-confidence motion.
There were signs that Mori himself is heading to a wry acceptance that his days are numbered, according to a reports in Wednesday's Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers.
Before heading to Brunei, Mori was invited to the theatre on Christmas Eve by entrepreneur and member of the advisory council on education reform, Jiro Ushio.
"I'll go if I'm still prime minister," Mori replied, the papers said -- TOKYO (AFP)
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