Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara's abrupt resignation Sunday may have averted even more turmoil in the Diet, but his loss bodes ill for the Democratic Party of Japan because he was a leading candidate to succeed Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
The resignation, prompted by illegal donations from a foreign national, came as the Kan administration is struggling to pass budget-related bills through the Diet as an internal conflict rages between factions loyal to Kan and those loyal to Ichiro Ozawa, the kingpin facing trial for political funds misreporting.
Opposition forces, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, meanwhile see Maehara's exit as a great opportunity to push Kan into dissolving the Lower House for a snap election as they search for the perfect moment to submit a nonbinding censure motion against the prime minister in the opposition-controlled Upper House.