Prime Minister Taro Aso signaled last week his readiness to depart from austere fiscal policies ardently defended by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his successors.
The about-face was immediately seen by politicians and observers as another sign of Aso's rapidly weakening power: It appears he is no longer capable of controlling ruling bloc Diet members who want larger stimulus budgets out of fear they could lose their seats in the next election.
"As many as 70 percent to 80 percent of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are wary of whether they can remain the ruling party under the Aso administration," acting LDP Secretary General Nobuteru Ishihara said Friday in a speech in Tokyo.