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To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (22084)	4/2/2000 8:25:00 PM
From: re3	Respond to of 42523

from gold eagle... Can't imagine that this is good news (snowgirl) Apr 02, 20:12 for the tenuous Japanese recovery. Any opinions to what this might do to the current economic conditions?? Japan's PM May Have Had Stroke Linda Sieg 04/02/00 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi might have suffered a stroke and it was unclear when he would be able to resume his duties, Japan's NHK television said on Monday, a day after he was admitted to hospital. Quoting medical sources, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper had a similar report, saying there was a strong possibility he had had a stroke. Public service broadcaster NHK said leaders of Obuchi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)were concerned that due to the stroke, Obuchi would take a long time to recover and the appointment of an acting prime minister was being considered. `Based on the tests done so far, there is a strong possibility that he has had a stroke,' the Asahi Shimbun said. Domestic media, quoting senior members of the LDP, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki was most likely to be his stand-in. Speaking to reporters at the prime minister's official residence more than 22 hours after Obuchi was taken to hospital, Aoki said late on Sunday that Obuchi, 62, was in hospital and undergoing tests. ``The prime minister was hospitalized suddenly due to overwork around one o'clock in the morning today (1800 GMT Saturday),'Aoki said. In a news conference that provided few hard facts, Aoki first said he did not know if Obuchi was conscious, but later said the prime minister had been conscious when he visited him on Sunday afternoon. SUFFERS FROM HEART CONDITION Obuchi suffers from a heart condition for which he has a pacemaker. When he became prime minister in July 1998, here were questions raised about the state of his health, but there have been no reported problems since he took office. Aoki said the government would consider whether to appoint an acting prime minister, but did not elaborate on the timing. Earlier reports said Obuchi had been worn out from manning the crisis center set up after the Mount Usu volcano erupted on the northern island of Hokkaido on Friday, its eruption heralded by thousands of small earthquakes over several days. After suffering harsh criticism for its slow response to previous disasters, including volcanic eruptions, the huge Kobe 1995 earthquake and last year's nuclear accident, the government has won praise for its swift action to the Hokkaido volcano. Obuchi has also been under attack on the political front, where his three-way coalition -- battered for weeks by a series of high-profile scandals -- is now unraveling. After talks late on Saturday with his two coalition partners,Obuchi said the smallest of the three parties would break away. The departure of the hawkish Liberal Party, or at least a good chunk of it, could well dent Obuchi's fading popularity before an election for parliament's Lower House that must be held by October 19. PREPARING FOR G8 SUMMIT Obuchi has also been busy preparing for a Group of Eight (G8)summit to be held on the southern island of Okinawa in July. He wants a summit success to help to boost the LDP's performance in the Lower House election, but has yet to find a headline-grabbing focus for the agenda. `Prime Minister Obuchi had days of worries over parliamentary debate, the eruption of Mount Usu and the issue of the Liberal Party leaving the ruling coalition. I think that's why he was struck by overwork,' former Defense Minister Taku Yamasaki said. Obuchi's popularity ratings have been sliding since the formation of an expanded three-way coalition last October after rising from rock-bottom levels when he first took office in July1998. The improvement in the ratings had been largely due to signs of an economic recovery and to Obuchi's own amiable image. The economy is still showing signs of renewed vigor, but the ruling camp has been hit by a series of scandals, including a number of high-profile cases involving senior police officials.