Japan's Naoto Kan hurt by party revolt

TOKYO - Japan's center-left Premier Naoto Kan, in power less than a year, faced a mutiny from a group of ruling party lawmakers on Thursday that threatens his reform agenda and imperils his leadership.

Sixteen lower house members loyal to Kan's internal party rival, scandal-tainted powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa, asked to leave the party's group in parliament and said they may not support the government in crucial votes.

If the rebels fail to vote with Kan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) it could spell doom for the government, which already lacks the two-thirds lower house majority needed to push through bills rejected by the upper house.