Monday, August 31st, 2009
日本で易姓革命*!
DPJ hands historic loss to LDP, takes over government
In an unprecedented political upheaval that could change the way Japan is run, the Democratic Party of Japan seized 308 seats in Sunday’s Lower House election, bouncing the Liberal Democratic Party from power.
The DPJ’s tally far exceeded the 241 seats needed for a single majority and surpassed the 296 seats the LDP won in its landslide victory in the previous Lower House election in 2005.
The LDP did not just lose the election; it was humiliated.
By virtue of this landslide victory, DPJ chief Yukio Hatoyama is set to become Japan’s new Prime Minister. Remember, the right-wing “Liberal Democratic” Party has dominated Japanese politics since the end of the Occupation. For them to be so thoroughly pwned in parliamentary elections is quite a feat.
Time will tell if this is a temporary setback for the LDP or the harbinger of a new age in Japanese politics. But if it is indeed the latter, then that’s just すばらしい (subarashii)!
* The phrase 易姓革命 (ekiseikakumei) refers to the ancient Chinese concept of a dynastic revolution that occurs when the ruling dynasty loses “The Mandate of Heaven.” Seemed rather appropriate, given the circumstances.
