Japanese opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who refused to resign earlier Wednesday over his handling of the crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
"What is most sought by the people is for us to work together to achieve reconstruction and resolve the nuclear crisis," Kan said during a heated parliamentary debate with opposition leaders. "I must respond to their needs and that is my responsibility."
He is most likely to survive the motion because his Democratic Party of Japan controls the powerful lower house of parliament. Dozens of lawmakers may support the motion to pressure Kan into resigning, a move that could split his party, but their participation would be still short of the majority. A vote is expected Thursday.
A magnitude 9.0 quake and massive tsunami on March 11 damaged cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, causing its three reactor cores to largely melt and spewing radiation into the air — the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.