A day after the resignation of the Japanese prime minister, lobbying has begun to choose his successor.

Senior officials of the governing Liberal Democratic Party say they will select the new prime minister next Tuesday July the twenty-first.

Correspondents say the front runner is Keizo Obuchi, the foreign minister, who has cancelled a visit to China because of the uncertain political situation in Japan.

The BBC Tokyo correspondent says financial traders throughout East Asia and beyond are hoping for a new leader who will initiate drastic measures to revive the Japanese economy.