The tug-of-war between supporters of Koichi Kato's revolt against Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Liberal Democratic Party elders continued Saturday as both camps prepared for a showdown Lower House vote Monday on a no-confidence motion against Mori.
As of Saturday, it was unclear whether the party's leaders would be able to win enough lawmakers from the Kato camp over to their side to maintain a majority in the 480-seat chamber.
Mori remained inside his private residence in Tokyo all day, only summoning Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda in the afternoon to discuss the situation.