A tug of war continued Wednesday over whether the nation's top diplomats would be removed, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda warning Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka that a prolonged stalemate could damage national interests.

The focal point is the resignation offered by Ambassador to the U.S. Shunji Yanai. While Tanaka wants to retain him in that post, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reportedly ordered her Tuesday to approve the resignation, together with those of three other top-ranking diplomats.

Now that Koizumi has intervened, the personnel decision is expected to be finalized by the Cabinet by Aug. 10.