Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is considering resigning in July in exchange for the opposition's cooperation for key legislation, news reports said Monday.
Senior lawmakers of his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) have persuaded the premier to announce the timing of his resignation soon to avoid legislative gridlock, Kyodo News reported citing unnamed party sources.
They said Kan could hold a news conference this week to explain his resignation, DPA reported.
Party leaders met the premier Sunday to urge his resignation, but he did not appear willing to do so in the short term.
They argued that opposition parties would block key legislation in a divided parliament unless the premier agrees to step down soon.
Kan's government has been criticized for a slow and inadequate response to the March disaster that left 15,462 dead and 7,650 missing, and the ensuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Critics said little progress had been made in the reconstruction of the disaster-hit region, piles of debris yet remained and many victims were unemployed.
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