CIAO DATE: 01/2010
October 2009
Finnish Institute for International Affairs
On August 30 the DPJ swept victoriously into Japan's House of Representatives, handing the LDP its most resounding electoral defeat ever. After the elections the DPJ holds 308 seats versus its rival's 119, whereas before the ratio had been 112 to 303, respectively. It now is Japan's strongest political party, having already gained a majority in the House of Councillors in the 2007 elections.
Resource link: Japanese governance reform: Daybreak in the land of the rising sun? [PDF] - 1.2M