Japan's embattled prime minister faced growing pressure Tuesday from within his own party to resign ahead of July elections over his broken campaign promise to move a US Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's approval ratings have plummeted as he backtracked on the vow to move Marine Air Station Futenma off the southern island, reinforcing his public image as an indecisive leader after only eight months in office. Many analysts say he may well step down ahead of upper house elections, likely to be held in mid-July – or perhaps right after the elections if his party, the Democratic Party of Japan, does poorly. If he does resign soon, he will be the fourth Japanese prime minister to do so in four years. Hatoyama has insisted he will stay on, but his comments Tuesday seemed less forceful.
