pre> Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces a rebellion in his party, media said on Wednesday, that while not enough to unseathim in a no-confidence motion will weaken his struggle to copewith the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.
Analysts have said Kan should survive the vote in parliament,expected to be on Thursday, but that he would still face bighurdles pushing policies through a divided parliament, includingan extra budget to pay for rebuilding. [ID:nL3E7H106G}
The benchmark Nikkei share average was flat at9
NFL Custom Jerseys ,695.92 at the midday break after gaining 2 percent theprevious day. Analysts said immediate support level lies at its5-day moving average of 9,589.
The broader Topix shed 0.2 percent to 836.92.
Toyota Motor shed 0.3 percent to 3,390 yen, NissanMotor slipped 0.9 percent to 807 yen and Toshiba dropped 1.4 percent to 424 yen.
But shares of Sony Corp rose 0.6 percent to 2,176yen after Chief Financial Officer Masaru Kato said in aninterview with the Nikkei business daily that the company willlook to reduce operating losses in its television business by atleast half in the current fiscal year through March 2012[ID:nL3E7GV35W]
Shares of small-cap solar panel companies surgedin heavy trade, with Takashima rising to a four-yearhigh of 260 yen, up more than 7 percent on the day. Sankyo MetalIndustrial Co Ltd was up 12 percent at 368 yen
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Solar shares have been extending gains after Japanese PrimeMinister Naoto Kan pledged last week to double the amount ofelectricity supplied by renewable energy in the 2020s and afterGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Monday the countrywould shut the reactors and expand the use of wind and solarpower. [ID:nLDE74T0GY]
April 8 - Japan's Nikkei stock average jumped 1.9percent to close at its highest since the March 11 earthquake,with short-covering encouraged by an "outperform" rating forbeleaguered Tokyo Electric Power and a government planto avoid rolling power blackouts.
A jump in popular stock Fast Retailing , whichoperates the Uniqlo discount clothing chain, after it lifted itsannual earnings outlook and a better-than-expected settlementfor April options prices also bolstered sentiment.
Commodity trading advisers in the Nikkei futures markethelped lead the short-covering while gains in commodity pricesand further declines in the yen against the euro helped as well.
"There is no clear way you can explain today's rally. TEPCOshares' sharp gains
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The benchmark Nikkei closed up 1.9 percent or 177.15points at 9,768.08, its highest close since March 11 and thebiggest percentage gain for a single day since March 30.
It also finished above its closely watched 25-day movingaver