No-confidence vote looms before Japan PM

Unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan may face votes for a no-confidence motion against him from dozens of Japanese ruling party rebels, media said on Wednesday.

Although the number of votes may fall short of ousting Kan, but enough to rip the party and deteriorate his clout as he struggles with the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years, following a deadly March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Reuters reported.

The struggling premier, said analysts, may survive the vote, which is likely to take place on Thursday. However, he would still have to deal with difficulties pushing policies through a divided parliament, the Reuters report said.

If the no-confidence motion gets adopted, Kan would be forced to resign with his cabinet or call a snap lower house poll. Many of the rivals his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) back scandal-tainted powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa and want Kan to step down before the vote.

This will make the way clear for a new leader who could form a coalition with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party to break a parliamentary blockage, Reuters reported.

However, Kan had declined a demand to quit in talks on Tuesday with his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama, who himself resigned suddenly last year, media reports said.