The administration of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is in crisis, visibly weakened by the resignation of Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa over a drug-related extramarital affair.
During its past six months in office, the Mori administration enjoyed a semblance of stability despite its low approval ratings, in part because Mori has no powerful rivals inside or outside the Liberal Democratic Party. Now that his right-hand man has fallen, however, he stands on the edge of a precipice.
The LDP's mainstream factions that support Mori are planning to bolster his administration through a reshuffle of the Cabinet and party executives in December. The big question is how much public support the prime minister and his Cabinet will have at that time.