Worry, speculation and embarrassment have overwhelmed Japan's political world in the two days since Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was incapacitated by a stroke on Sunday. As hopes vanished for his resumption of the nation's most responsible political post, the Obuchi Cabinet resigned en bloc on Tuesday and governing party leaders were striving to ensure a smooth changing of the guard.

Mr. Obuchi's sudden disappearance comes as the triumvirate ruling coalition reaches a critical point. With nearly half of the 50 Liberal Party members breaking with the coalition, the ruling parties are faced with an urgent need to reconsolidate the structure of the coalition, which now is based mainly on the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.

Illness struck Mr. Obuchi just when, following the Diet's passage of the fiscal 2000 government budget, he was gearing himself up to tackle the remaining items on this year's political agenda, which include the annual G7 summit meeting in July, the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the ensuing general elections. The summit, in particular, has topped his list of priorities. By succeeding in his role as host to world leaders at the Okinawa summit, Mr. Obuchi intended to check the recent decline in the popularity of his coalition government. With general elections expected some time before October, he was concerned over the continuing drop in the public's assessment of his Cabinet.