Naoto Kan, Japan’s prime minister, survived a no-confidence motion that had threatened his year-old government after he promised to step down at a later but unspecified, date.

Mr Kan’s victory in the Diet’s lower house, by 293 votes to 152, headed off a rebellion by Democratic party rivals and opposition politicians who accused him of poor leadership in the face of a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. If it had been passed, the opposition’s motion of no-confidence would have forced Mr Kan to resign with his cabinet or call a general election.

Political feuding, however, still threatens to delay efforts to rebuild the country’s devastated north-east coast, ensure government funding for the current fiscal year and rein-in soaring state debt.