TOKYO -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) knew that this weekend's general election was going to be tough. But despite consistently dismal polling, many members likely didn't expect quite the pummeling they took.
The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Sunday romped to a landslide win, taking more than 300 seats in the 480-seat House of Representatives. The victory brought more than 50 years of almost uninterrupted rule by the LDP to a dramatic end, and has left the DPJ not only holding power for the first time, but also as the biggest party in both houses of the Diet.
Yet despite the historic win, and the apparent desire for change among Japanese voters that it reflects, it is unclear how much of a difference the DPJ victory really heralds.