Majority of Japanese voters want prime minister Kan to be replaced

After the March 11 disaster crisis, the Japanese people seem to have lost their confidence on Prime Minister Naoto Kan. While 70 percent of Japanese voters want a replacement for Kan, nearly half of them think he should continue as the PM and manage the initial stage of dealing with the disaster and the following nuclear crisis, said a newspaper survey on Monday.

The survey by Nikkei business daily showed the increasing unpopularity of the premier. According to the survey, Kan is facing tough time in handling the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years and he may face a no-confidence vote as early as this week, Reuters reported.

Almost three fourth of respondents in the opinion poll conducted by the newspaper believed that the government has failed in tackling the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Senior officials at the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) told Kyodo news agency on Sunday that it would not possible to stabilize the Fukushima plant by the end of this year. Three of six reactors at Fukushima had suffered meltdowns within days, said a Tepco official.