Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister, survived a no-confidence vote yesterday after offering to resign once the country is on the road to recovery from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Mr Kan, who is Japan's fifth prime minister in as many years, made the pledge just days before his first anniversary in the job. "Once my handling of the earthquake disaster is settled to some extent and I have fulfilled my role to some extent, I would like younger generations to take over my various responsibilities", Mr Kan told a meeting of members of his Democratic Party of Japan just hours before the no-confidence vote in the Diet. The prime minister's offer helped him win back the support of several potential rebels, including his predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, and members of a group led by party power broker and Kan rival Ichiro Ozawa. The motion, brought by the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and its allies was defeated by a 293-152 margin.