Japan PM resigns

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TOKYO, SEP 1 (AP) Japan's unpopular prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, announced his resignation Monday after less than a year in office. Fukuda, in a hastily arranged news conference Monday evening, said he was stepping down to avoid a political vacuum at the head of the world's second-largest economy.brMy decision is based on what I thought the future political situation ought to be, Fukuda said.brThe 72-year-old has suffered from chronically low support ratings as he presided over a parliament split between the ruling party and the opposition.brThe move extends Japan's stretch of political instability of recent years. Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, resigned last September after barely a year in office.br