Opposition wins big to take power in Japan (Roundup)

Aug 30, 2009, 13:59 GMT

Tokyo - The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) made history Sunday with an overwhelming victory in the country's general elections, ending a half a century of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) rule, according to initial projections.

Exit polls indicated that the DPJ was headed toward winning more than 300 seats in the 480-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the parliament.

Of the over 320 seats decided so far, the DPJ had won 244, already enough for a majority. By comparison, the ruling coalition of the LDP and New Komeito suffered a historical defeat with only 68 seats.

'I think that the results reflected the voters' anger against the ruling coalition,' said DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama, who appeared poised to become the next prime minister.

The Japanese public expressed its dissatisfaction toward LDP, which ended 55 years of virtual political monopoly with Sunday's election results.

The party, which helped the war-ravaged Japan to rise up to become the world's second-largest economy, was blamed for a series of scandals, devastating pension programmes and the worst recession in the country's post-war era.

But DPJ has its own challenges to tackle as it has almost no experience running the government and has its members from all walks of political life, such as LDP, trade unions and former social democrats.

The DPJ has vowed to cut wasteful spending and revitalize Japan's economy by increasing household incomes and encouraging spending. However, it has offered few details as to how it would fulfill its promises.

Hatoyama said he plans to review the current government's record- high stimulus package. His party's manifesto promises to raise monthly child allowances and to scrap both expressway tolls and gasoline taxes as part of its plan to stimulate consumer spending.

The DPJ also aid it could secure funds for its proposed programmes by cutting public works projects and increasing domestic demand while at the same time holding off on a sales tax hike for the next four years.

But while Japan suffers a mounting national debt exceeding more than 160 per cent of its gross domestic product, experts call the party's costly policies unrealistic. The LDP has called them a 'pipe dream' and said they would require 'magic' to be realized.

Amidst criticism, DPJ said its priority is on the people and their lives.

With Japan's international partners, DPJ would also bring a change, experts say.

The 62-year-old political centrist Hatoyama wants a more mature relationship with the US, gaining a more self-assertive voice forJapan in the international community.

With East Asian neighbours, Hatoyama foresees improvements as he plans no visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine for Japan's war dead, such as those by previous Japanese prime ministers which drew angry protests especially from China and South Korea.

Sunday's results brought the first non-LDP government in 15 years since a coalition government formed and failed in about 10 months in the 1990s.

DPJ and Hatoyama face challenges to keep the government going to implement their policies to build trust among their supporters.