Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori came under fire again Wednesday as a top member of key coalition partner New Komeito called for his resignation.

The party official, however, hastily backtracked after news of his comment spread in political circles, saying it did not "reflect his real intention."

Initial reports said the New Komeito official told reporters on condition of anonymity that the prime minister "should step down."

"I wonder if Mori himself is not fed up," he said.

Mori has been criticized for a number of verbal gaffes and political scandals involving his Liberal Democratic Party. He is currently under fire for continuing a game of golf Saturday after being informed of a collision between a Japanese vessel and a U.S. submarine off Hawaii. Nine Japanese remain missing after the accident.

The New Komeito official said, "We should watch the political situation rather than dampening or boosting the current" for a change of leadership.

At the same time, the official said, "There is no one who can succeed Mori if he quits."

But the New Komeito official quickly denied his remark after the news created a stir in the Nagata-cho district, saying that reporters "misunderstood" the comment.

New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki also said later in the day that the official who made the remark told him the comment did not reflect his real intention.

"It is my understanding that our party did not urge Prime Minister Mori to resign," Kanzaki told reporters, adding that the party will support Mori "as long as he is the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party." His comments suggest it is up to the LDP to decide whether to replace Mori.

Although the move may not immediately lead to Mori's resignation, LDP members -- including his closest aide -- have severely criticized Mori's errors.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said although the government took proper steps after the collision occurred, he personally believes Mori should not have continued to play golf.

It is unusual for a chief Cabinet secretary, who is considered the prime minister's closest aide, to criticize the leader.

"What is in question now is (Mori's) political attitude" as prime minister, Fukuda told a regular news conference.

A junior LDP member who belongs to a faction led by Ryutaro Hashimoto, minister in charge of administrative reform, said voters were "hopping mad" about Mori's handling of the submarine accident.

"(Party leaders) tell us to go out and win the upcoming election, but in recent days voters are sneering at us. This situation should be relayed to the prime minister," the LDP member said during an Upper House gathering.

Opposition attacks

Opposition leaders on Wednesday joined the bombardment against Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori with questions over his handling of Saturday's maritime accident, claiming the "happy-go-lucky" leader is unfit to lead the nation.

During a one-on-one debate with the prime minister, the opposition's attack on Mori focused on his decision Saturday to continue playing golf in Yokohama after learning of the collision between a Japanese vessel and a U.S. submarine off Hawaii.

"You were on the golf course and never let your club go," Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan, told the Diet session, dubbed "question time."

"I must say you don't have the least bit of self-awareness that you are in charge of protecting the life and property of the people," he said, adding that calls for Mori's resignation are now being heard even from within the ruling camp, which is led by Mori's own Liberal Democratic Party.

Standing up against the storm of criticism, Mori replied by asking Hatoyama and the audience to separate two jumbled factors: What he did and where he was.

"(The government) dealt with the situation in an orderly manner. And in that sense, I fulfilled my responsibility," Mori said, explaining that on his instructions, central government bodies quickly set up crisis management offices, gathered information and made contact with their respective U.S. counterparts.

"But if you are blaming me for where I was, I will have no choice but to accept the criticism," he said. He added that he would have stayed wherever he had been in order to ensure smooth communication with his aides in Tokyo.

Kazuo Shii, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party, also lashed out at Mori, saying that "a prime minister's job is not something you can do with a golf club in one hand."

Shii expressed outrage over Mori's reluctance to blame the crew members of the USS Greeneville for reportedly not assisting Japanese sailors thrown into the water.

"You are just parroting the explanation given by the U.S. Pacific Fleet (that investigations are still under way)," Shii said, claiming that Mori cannot be entrusted with people's lives as prime minister.