Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata resigned Saturday along with his tottering minority government, saying he preferred not to call snap elections and create a political vacuum.
He announced the move on television just an hour before parliament was due to open debate on an opposition no-confidence motion against his minority government.Lower House officials later canceled the plenary session called to consider the motion, submitted Thursday by the Liberal Democratic Party, the largest opposition force.
Cabinet ministers then met in formal session to submit their collective resignation.
"As for today, I and my Cabinet will resign," Hata told the televised news conference. He will leave it to parliament to decide who should form Japan's next administration.
Overnight news reports had said Hata was ready to dissolve the Lower House and call snap general elections should the coalition lose the confidence vote.
On Saturday, the embattled prime minister firmly ruled out that option, saying this would have created a political vacuum likely to last at least a month.
"I wanted to avoid (that) at all costs," he said.
Hata had maneuvered desperately for days to beat off the challenge from the LDP, the conservative pro-business party that ruled Japan for 38 years until it crashed to defeat in July 1993 general elections.
In the end, though, he had to acknowledge failure in his efforts to woo back the Socialists, founder partners in the broad ruling coalition whose walkout in April stripped the government of its majority.
Asked if he would now leave the reins of government to the LDP, Hata said: "If I leave the government to the largest opposition party, it will be yet another minority government. I regret to say no party at present has a majority."
So would he himself seek to form a new Cabinet? "I would follow any decision by parliament. By throwing out everything, I would like to seek a new course."