Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose approval rating tumbled following the devastating March earthquake and tsunami, announced his resignation Friday.
Kan resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. The party will elect a new leader next week, who will take over as prime minister.
The resignation fulfills his promise to step down after parliament approved two pieces of legislation, including one related to post-earthquake reconstruction.
“I will put my words into action once those two bills are approved,” Kan said this month at a Lower House committee session.
Kan believes the two bills — the deficit-financing bond bill and the new energy promotion bill — will push forward his reconstruction policies.
The bills passed Friday.
Kan has been under pressure to resign since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent nuclear crisis in the nation. The disaster triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl as cores overheated and spewed huge amounts of radioactive contamination across the surrounding area.
In May, he pledged to give up his prime minister salary of $20,200 a month until the nuclear crisis in the country is over.
