Shizuka Kamei, the longtime archenemy of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, kicked off speculation Tuesday by denying he intended to topple the Koizumi Cabinet in the ongoing struggle to scrap the postal privatization bills.

"I haven't uttered a word to say that we're trying to topple the Cabinet," the Liberal Democratic Party's former policy chief said in a surprising step back from earlier remarks.

"When all things about the bills are settled, we'd give full support for the Koizumi Cabinet," Kamei told a special meeting of the faction he heads.