For the past decade, the Japanese political scene has remained extremely unstable. Things have gone from bad to worse since the Liberal Democratic Party formed a coalition government. The root cause of the instability was the LDP's loss of majority status in both Houses of the Diet.
Public criticism of the LDP has grown since Yoshiro Mori became prime minister a year ago. Such criticism may stem in part from fabrications on the part of the media, but it is more deeply rooted in Mori's qualifications.
At long last, he has announced that he will resign, and the ruling party is scheduled to elect its new president on Tuesday, with Junichiro Koizumi, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Shizuka Kamei and Taro Aso vying for the post.