FACTBOX: Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda quits

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced his resignation on Monday, after almost a year of struggling to pass legislation in the face of stalling by the opposition-dominated upper house of parliament.

Following are five facts about Fukuda.

* The bespectacled Fukuda, 72, came to office in September 2007 following the sudden resignation of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, joking that he may have drawn the short straw in becoming premier in a divided parliament.

* He became the country's oldest leader in 16 years. A former oil company executive and son of former prime minister Takeo Fukuda, he was viewed as a moderate conservative and diplomatic dove who took a consensual approach to politics.

* His initially healthy support rates sagged after a failed attempt to forge a coalition with the main opposition Democratic Party.

* Apparently cavalier comments about the government's failure to keep its promise to sort out a public pensions crisis added to his woes, as did his introduction of an unpopular new health insurance system for people aged over 75.

* Known for his testy manner, Fukuda abruptly stepped down as chief cabinet secretary in 2004 after admitting to skipping some payments into the public pension scheme.

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Rodney Joyce)