Speculation is growing that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori may remain in his post beyond April, partly because of the recent decline in share prices and the confusion over just who would succeed the unpopular leader.
LDP policy chief Shizuka Kamei insists the intraparty vote to choose Mori's successor as LDP president and prime minister should not be held until after emergency measures to bolster the sagging economy are implemented.
On Thursday, Hiromu Nonaka, a former party secretary general and one of the likely candidates to slide into Mori's throne, reiterated that the economy must take precedence over the party election.