Faction¹ leader Ichiro Ozawa has resigned from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), along with 49 other lawmakers, officials say.

日本派系领导人小泽一郎，连同49位其他立法者，从执政民主党辞职。

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Ichiro Ozawa is a former DPJ leader with considerable political clout
The exodus³（大批的离去） , which has been expected for some time, still leaves the DPJ with a majority in the lower house of parliament.

But the move is a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, with Mr Ozawa expected to form his own party.

Mr Ozawa is opposed to the sales tax hike passed in parliament a week ago.

A party official told reporters that 38 lawmakers from the lower house and 12 from the upper chamber⁴ of parliament were leaving the party.

Earlier reports had said that a total of 52 lawmakers had submitted resignation letters, citing an official close to Mr Ozawa. The official told reporters that two lawmakers had retracted⁵ their resignations.

If 54 or more lower house lawmakers follow Mr Ozawa, Mr Noda would lose his majority and could be forced to call early polls.

There has been no official comment from either Mr Noda or Mr Ozawa, but the latter is due to hold a press conference later in the day, and reports said the prime minister would be meeting senior party officials to discuss the matter.

'The destroyer'

The prime minister says doubling sales tax from 5% to 10% by 2015 is key to cutting Japan's high public debt and funding rising welfare costs.

The tax hike has seen bitter disagreement and gridlock（僵局） amongst Japan's lawmakers.

Mr Ozawa, who led the charge against Mr Noda, is a veteran politician leading the biggest faction within the DPJ.

He says Mr Noda has broken the party's election promises.

This is not the first time that Mr Ozawa, dubbed⁶ "the destroyer", has torn apart a ruling party, says the BBC's Mariko Oi in Tokyo. In 1993, he left the Liberal Democratic Party to form his own party.

But voters do not appear to be impressed, says our correspondent, with the latest opinion poll saying only 15% of them support his move.