Heat builds but Mori stays put

Mori faces a no-confidence vote, which is likely to take place on Friday

TOKYO (CNN) -- Four opposition parties may submit a no-confidence vote against Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's cabinet after parliament's Lower House passes the fiscal year 2001 budget Friday.

Several lawmakers from Japan's biggest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, told CNN that the parties hope to submit the motion shortly after Lower House lawmakers pass the budget later on Friday.

If proposed, the motion would come just one day after a senior member of Mori's Liberal Democrats was arrested on bribery charges.

Despite mounting pressure on Mori to step down even within his own party, a no-confidence vote would only be a symbolic gesture.

Local media said the three coalition parties -- the Liberal Democrats, Komei, and New Conservatives -- have decided to vote the motion down, although there may be abstentions.

The administration's popularity has plummeted in recent weeks, in the wake of a number of scandals, including Mori's decision to stay out on a golf course for a couple of hours after he first heard word of the collision between the Ehime Maru and the USS Greeneville.

Nine Japanese citizens are missing.

Mori is apologizing for the loss of honor to his party after a former labor minister was arrested for corruption.

Masakuni Murakami, one of a "Gang of Four" in the Liberal Democratic Party, was picked up on suspicion of bribery. He had supported Mori for the top job last year.

Officials believe Murakami accepted bribes worth about $615,000 from KSD, a scandal-tainted foundation.

The arrest could not have come at a worse time for Mori.

His support is in single digits, his party faces an election for the Upper House of parliament in July, and the opposition has said it will submit a no-confidence motion against him.

The no-confidence motion will have only symbolic value given the ruling coalition's majority in the 480-member Lower House, where it holds 277 seats, unless a sufficient number of ruling lawmakers either back it or abstain.

But its submission would embarrass the ruling camp and be certain to heat up their own campaign to unseat Mori in an effort to improve their image with voters ahead of a critical Upper House election in July.

'Mandate from heaven'

Political turmoil and low popularity ratings have yet to discourage Mori from staying in power.

"Keeping in mind every day that I receive warm encouragements and rebukes from people of all walks of life, I would like to make a wise decision on what I should do as a politician," Mori told the Lower House budget committee.

"It isn't as if I can ask someone to take my place just because I have achieved one thing. It is a mandate from heaven for me to make efforts day by day," he said.

Mori's comments sparked speculation that he was hinting at resigning after parliament passes the budget for the coming fiscal year from April.

However, he later told reporters that his comment had nothing to do with any kind of resignation talk.

"It had nothing to do with that," Kyodo news agency quoted Mori as saying. "I was talking about policies."

Pundits and media have feverishly been speculating scenarios for Mori's exit, including an early bet that saw him bowing out as early as on Friday, when the budget for the fiscal year from April 1 will be passed by the Lower House.

However, the scenario has been losing favor due to an apparent lack of consensus over who should succeed him.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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