There was even talk of calling snap elections to try to win a larger mandate from voters and end the gridlock that has brought policy-making to a virtual standstill.

Now, snap polls seem almost as appealing as self-immolation.

'They are afraid they will lose,' said PROF Tomoaki Iwai, a political science professor at Nihon University in Tokyo. 'They have taken a closer look at the opinion polls and decided that they really don't know who would win if they went through with their threats of holding a snap election soon.'

Stalemate in Japan's government has worldwide ramifications.

Japan is working out its positions on how much it can help in Afghanistan, on climate change and, as the world's second-largest economy, on helping avert a deeper international financial crisis.

Japan's political world, however, is mired in itself. Major policy issues are taking a back seat to campaign-style grandstanding, and important legislation is wilting on the vine amid endless partisan debates.

After two of the least popular leaders in decades, Mr Aso was expected to give the ruling Liberal Democratic Party a big bounce with his populist policies, including promises to give taxpayers rebates if his party could squeeze them through parliament.

But a nationwide poll by the daily Mainichi newspaper in late Oct showed his approval ratings had fallen to 36 per cent, down 9 percentage points from when he took office. Another poll released on Tuesday by the Asahi newspaper put support for his Cabinet at 37 percent. Japanese newspapers do not publish the margin of error for their polls.

Instead of a snap election, Mr Aso has told parliament he will focus on staving off the effects of the global financial crisis.

If Mr Aso decides to ride it out, he can wait until next Sept, when elections must by law be called.

The opposition is calling for elections every chance it gets.

Mr Yukio Hatoyama, a leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, said last week he wants them early next year if not sooner.

Mr Hiroyuki Hosoda, secretary-general of Mr Aso's party, responded that the lower house would not be dissolved by year's end.

In the meantime, the two parties remain in battle mode.

Mr Aso is using television commercials to blast the opposition as irresponsible and dangerous, while the opposition has taken out full-page newspaper ads saying the ruling party is no longer fit to rule.

Many voters appear to agree with both.

Though the country is one of the most stable in the world, Japan's political scene has been in turmoil for the past two years.

The main opposition bloc took control of the upper house of parliament in July last year.

It has used its strength to bleed the ruling party on every front, opposing virtually all of its policy proposals and relentlessly attacking its leadership. The opposition was a big factor in the resignations of Aso's two predecessors and has created the worst gridlock in decades.

It is not clear, though, that the opposition would win an election held today.

Though many voters are unenthusiastic about the ruling party, actually voting for the opposition is another matter altogether.

The Democratic Party of Japan is an eclectic group of lawmakers that range from centrist former ruling party members to left-leaning community organizers.

'I'd vote for the LDP, though it's not a positive choice,' said Mr Daisuke Saito, 30, a Tokyo office worker, referring to the ruling party by its acronym.

'I think the LDP has become too complacent about their rule and failed to keep up with the times or listen to the voices of the people. But the Democrats have no experience, and I'm not confident if they can really run the country.' -- AP