Lawmaker: Japan PM could resign before August (AP)

TOKYO ? A senior lawmaker of Japan's ruling party says the prime minister could resign before August.

Katsuya Okada, the No. 2 of the Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters Sunday that if Prime Minister Naoto Kan achieved three policy goals, he could step down before the end of August ? the last day of the parliamentary session.

Kan, criticized for his handling of the March tsunami disaster and a nuclear crisis at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, said on June 2 he was willing to resign. But he has not specified when.

Okada said Kan's three goals are the enactment of an extra budget for post-quake reconstruction, the passage of a bill to issue deficit-covering bonds and a vote on a renewable energy bill.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110626/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_politics

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