DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama said Friday he will make a decision on whether to resign from his post by the end of the current extraordinary Diet session.
Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Hatoyama said that for the time being, he wants to concentrate his efforts on the creation of a stronger alliance between the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party.
"We need to create a stronger opposition force (in the Diet) by sending messages to the Liberal Party and the SDP," Hatoyama said, citing such options as creating a new parliamentary group or forming a new party through a merger.
Diet sources have said that Hatoyama has been sounding out his idea to the Liberal Party through informal channels, but his proposal to create a new political party has not won the full backing of the DPJ.
Hatoyama said he is prepared to put aside all personal desires and will concentrate on strengthening the opposition camp and creating a stronger foundation for democratic politics.
Rank-and-file DPJ members are unhappy with the way Hatoyama is managing the party and blame the confusion caused by his personnel appointments as a major reason for the party's poor performance in by-elections held Oct. 27. Many have openly called for his ouster by the end of the current Diet session, which ends Dec. 13.