JAPANESE LEADER PREVAILS IN VOTE.(MAIN)

Byline: JOSEPH COLEMAN Associated Press

TOKYO -- A no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was defeated in Parliament early today after a leading ruling party member withdrew his support for it.

The motion failed by a vote of 237-190 in an early morning ballot after a marathon -- and often raucous -- session in which opposition lawmakers argued Mori's government was a failure.

The defeat was guaranteed earlier when Koichi Kato, a leading figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, abandoned a rebellion aimed at ousting Mori. His decision led to 53 lawmakers boycotting the vote, which was dominated by the LDP-led ruling coalition. …