Quit if you can't resolve base issue, voters tell Hatoyama

TOKYO - Nearly half of Japanese voters think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama should quit if he fails to resolve by the end of May a row over a US airbase that is eroding his ratings ahead of a mid-year election, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Adding to his woes, 92 percent of respondents to the Sankei newspaper poll said a series of financial scandals overshadowing ruling party lawmakers, including party No 2 Ichiro Ozawa, would have an impact on the election, which is expected in July.

With support for the cabinet down to 30.5 percent in the Sankei poll, compared with 42.8 percent in February, the two issues are undermining the Democratic Party's chances of winning the majority it needs in the upper house election to avoid policy deadlock.