From: owner-humor
To: Multiple recipients of list HUMOR
Subject: What happened when Hosokawa told his friends he was resigning
Date: Sunday, April 10, 1994 2:05PM

This may sound like a scene from the comedy, "The Mikado", but these
are actual quotes as translated by Reuters...

The Players:
        Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa
        Socialist Party Chairman Tomiichi Murayama
        Democratic Socialist Party head Keigo Ouchi
        Socialist secretary-general Wataru Kubo
        Shinseito (Japan Renewal Party) co-leader Wataru Kubo
        Komeito (Clean Government Party) chief Ichikawa

Hosokawa:
        I have decided to step down because of the parliamentary
        deadlock and I must clarify my own responsibility over my
        personal finances.
[10 *minutes* of silence]
Murayama & Ouchi (to Hosokawa):
        We want to discuss this among ourselves.
Kubo, to Ozawa:
        What should we do?
Ozawa:
        Yes, what should we do?
Kubo, to Ichikawa:
        What should we do?
Ichikawa:
        It's useless to say 'What should we do?' And it looks like we
        can't ask him to take back the decision now that the prime
        minister has made his announcement.
All:
        Let's all meet at about 5 p.m. to decide what to do next.

