Government by Gaffe: Even if the LDP wins, Mori's moves sap its clout

After the previous Premier, Keizo Obuchi, died in May after a heart attack, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was expected to benefit from a sympathy vote in a critical general election set for the Lower House of Japan's Diet on June 25. But Mori has quickly squandered that advantage with an almost comical series of gaffes. It is shaping up as a year of political instability in Japan - and it comes at a fragile point in the country's recovery.