Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan (file photo)
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived the no-confidence motion that was submitted Wednesday. I figured he would survive by a small margin, but he actually came through quite well. Apparently some less-vocal members of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party didn’t think now was the best time for a change at the top.
However, Kan plans to step down in August amidst low approval ratings and renewed calls for resignation from both the LDP and his own Democratic Party of Japan.
After stepping down in August, Kan would have survived 14 months in office, which is longer than the average prime minister, but not necessarily good for Japan.