One-time Chief Cabinet Secretary Takao Fujinami left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday but refused to say whether he would resign as a member of the Lower House, now that his bribery conviction in the decade-old Recruit scandal has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Fujinami tendered his resignation to LDP Secretary General Yoshiro Mori, and with the opposition camp calling for him to step down, there is a possibility he could also quit the Diet.
For now all he's saying is he needs time to consult his supporters before making a decision.