The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda warned Thursday that his ruling Liberal Democratic Party is facing the "biggest crisis" since it was established in 1955. The LDP, which had held a majority in both parliamentary houses almost continually for the past half-century, lost control of the upper house for the first time last summer. "The party frankly admits it is facing the biggest crisis since its establishment," Fukuda said in his speech given at the party's convention. The LDP still holds a majority in the more powerful lower house. But Fukuda, who replaced the embattled Shinzo Abe in September, has struggled to pass legislation due to the lack of cooperation from the opposition, which is pushing for a fresh general election. Last week Fukuda took drastic action to restart a controversial naval mission supporting the US-led "war on terror," using the lower house's power to override an upper house rejection for the first time since the LDP was founded.