A fter a few days of fussing in the Democratic Party of Japan, Mr. Ichiro Ozawa on Tuesday withdrew his offer to resign as head of the No. 1 opposition party. Mr. Ozawa had announced his resignation over the weekend to express a sense of responsibility for causing a rift in the party over his handling of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's proposal to form a grand coalition.
Mr. Ozawa formally withdrew his resignation at a meeting of the party's Diet members Wednesday. He said, "I have resolved to spur myself on, staking my political life on a coming Lower House election, battling it out with all my power and gaining victory without fail."
The DPJ Diet members accepted Mr. Ozawa back at the helm, but he will have a difficult time as leader. That's because it appeared he was ready to accept the grand coalition proposal in his meeting with Mr. Fukuda, contrary to his long-standing pledge that he would do his best to lead the DPJ to victory in general elections to achieve a change of government. Clearly, his positive attitude toward Mr. Fukuda's proposal has caused suspicion among some DPJ members concerning Mr. Ozawa's true intentions. If Mr. Ozawa again shows any sign that he has not completely turned away from the idea of a coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party, it could cause a fatal schism within the DPJ.