The 17 ministers handed in their resignations during a cabinet meeting at Mr. Koizumi's official residence.
Both Lettas have held the important office of secretary of the council of ministers, handing off power to each other in successive governments.
Shortly after he took over as NATO secretary general, he observed: "Of course, I am as wax in the ministers' hands.
But government sources said they would no longer give a "running commentary" on possible welfare cuts ahead of the budget to avoid binding ministers' hands.
At the core of the controversy is what the opposition calls a pattern of government ministers' handing out contracts to friends and companies who donate to the Liberal Party.
Samuel Len (NYT) INDIA: 3 AIDES QUIT -- Three government ministers handed in their resignations in protest at a decision to arrest Bal Thackeray, the leader of their hard-line Hindu party, Shiv Sena.
Ministers handed over nearly £4bn last year.
Now there is a "crisis", it is out of the politicians' or ministers' hands and they can claim they have no other option but to centralise, regroup, consolidate or shut services, albeit temporarily.
In May 2004 Bo was one of the few ministers hand-picked to accompany Premier Wen Jiabao on a five-country trip to Europe.
At the meeting, Yemen's oil minister handed him his business card.
INDIANS gave a stunning mandate to Narendra Modi, the new prime minister, handing his Bharatiya Janata Party an overall majority in parliament.
