Show Prime Minister resigns Japanese rf Bruce Wallace Los Angeles Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe quit his office Wednesday saying he lacked the necessary support to pursue the agenda that drove his political career Abe 52 had vowed as recently as Monday to carry on as prime minister despite the crushing defeat delivered to his governing Liberal Democratic Party in elections for the upper house of parliament in July But with his support in polls stuck at 30 percent or lower and the opposition signaling it would obstruct his plans to govern Abe faced the prospect of trying to lead with ever- ever diminishing influence The people need a aleader aleader aleader leader whom they can support and trust Abe said Wednesday An administration that began with high hopes for Abe the first Japanese prime minister born bom after afterWorld afterWorld afterWorld World War Var II ended after just justa promising start that included a rapprochement with China Abes Abe's government sank into chaos and confusion wrought by scandals and verbal gaffes Abe will be able to claim small successes in driving his nationalist agenda forward from revising Japans Japan's basic education law to reflect a more patriotic spirit to elevating the country's defense establishment to full ministerial rank But Buthis his grander ambitions of reforming Japans Japan's s I tt pacifist Constitution fj foundered as his government almost from the start was repeatedly I. I 11 wounded by scandals A AI l stream of reve revelations I over oven I 11 I Ithe the abuse of political funds Td rj led to the resignations of fr several aides and Cabinet t fn n ministers including an j embarrassing streak of J two agriculture ministers rr f f forced to quit one of whom J committed suicide f fJ The which controls the lower house V w of parliament will now q t nt hold an internal election i ito ito to find a replacement for Abe Among those with alt altan j jan an inside track is Taro m rrt r Aso a streetwise former Sri foreign minister and party chief who shares Abes Abe's r F nationalistic world view rj rj o. o |