The fate of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's administration looked questionable Friday as his party rival Koichi Kato implied he might not support the Cabinet against a no-confidence motion being threatened by opposition parties.
Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, suggested during a morning telephone conversation with fellow LDP lawmaker Junichiro Koizumi that he and his faction members might abstain from voting once the motion is put to a Lower House vote, Diet sources said. Koizumi currently chairs an LDP faction led by Mori.
He made the point again later in the day while talking to reporters.