New Japan premier 'to rebuild nation'

"My task is to rebuild this nation," Mr Kan said after he was chosen ruling party chief. Pledging to confront problems linking "money and politics", he also stressed the need to spur economic growth.

Mr Kan, 63, was finance minister under the unpopular Yukio Hatoyama, who stepped down on Wednesday amid plunging approval ratings over broken campaign promises and a political funding scandal.

As prime minister, Mr Kan faces daunting choices in how to lead the world's second-largest economy, which is burdened with massive public debt, sluggish growth and an ageing, shrinking population. He must also rally voter support ahead of elections next month.

Mr Kan, known for standing up to Japan's powerful bureaucrats, is the country's sixth prime minister in four years.

He said after the party vote: "Our first priority is to regain the trust of the people."

The path to the parliamentary vote began in the morning, when Mr Hatoyama's cabinet resigned en masse. Then the ruling Democratic Party of Japan voted Mr Kan as its new leader. The lower house convened a couple of hours later to approve him as prime minister.

Mr Kan received 313 votes out of 477, with Liberal Democratic Party head Sadakazu Tanigaki getting 116. The rest went to candidates from smaller parties.

The upper house will vote later, but the result is largely ceremonial because the more powerful lower house can override its decision if needed.

On foreign policy, Kan stressed the importance of Japan's ties with regional neighbours.

In that contest, Mr Kan defeated little-known Shinji Tarutoko, chairman of the lower house environmental committee, by a vote of 291-129. Afterwards, the two shook hands and raised their hands together.

Japan is the slowest growing economy in Asia with growing unemployment and will almost certainly be overtaken by China this year.