Japan Has a CHANGE Election. Big Business gets the Boot!

[Joanne98]

Of course the WSJ isn't going to admit that hoping to confuse Americans with the word liberal and democrat but that's what it amounts too.


Japan Opposition Claims Victory in Historic Political Shift .ArticleSlideshowInteractive GraphicsComments (3).
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By YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO—Japan's voters Sunday soundly rejected the ruling party that has set the nation's course for more than half a century, choosing instead an untested rival to grapple with a weakening economy and an aging society.

The historic change in government could usher in a new era for Japanese politics that replaces the staid consensus that guided Japan in its postwar boom years with a more fractious, competitive environment. But it also raises major questions about whether the newcomers can solve Japan's deep structural problems and reassure a people increasingly uncertain about their future.

Japan VotesView Slideshow
Junji Kurokawa/Associated Press .Tokyo Voters Voice OpinionsView Slideshow
Yuka Hayashi/The Wall Street Journal .MoreWary Japanese Brace For Change Ousted LDP Seeks New Direction Joblessness Adds to LDP's Woes Likely Japan Leaders to Focus on Asian Ties Japan Party Talks Down Borrowing Japan Businesses Cultivate New Ties Photos: Japan Readies for Elections .
The upstart Democratic Party of Japan claimed a majority in the Japanese Parliament's lower house, replacing the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, voting data showed. With the upper house already in DPJ hands, party leaders will hold a strong position to push a platform that promises an emphasis on individuals and families while curtailing the influence of bureaucrats and big businesses.

The DPJ's strong showing "shows Japanese people feel profound anger toward the current politics," a stern-faced Mr. Hatoyama said at a press conference. "We will refrain from arrogance and ensure our victory becomes a victory for the people."

Prime Minister Taro Aso, who had faced a sharp decline in his popularity in recent months, said he will step down as the party's president to take responsibility for the party's defeat.

"The LDP has had four prime ministers in the last four years," Mr. Aso said. "People's dissatisfaction and distrust about that came to the surface all of a sudden." Mr. Aso, who had suffered from sharp declines in his support rate amid policy inconsistencies and gaffes, added the important thing now is to restore unity within the LDP.

Only once before, briefly, have Japanese voters looked elsewhere for leadership since the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was formed in 1955. Sunday's election was filled with symbolic blows to the LDP's long reign, with veteran politicians defeated by novices from the DPJ.

The changing of the guard takes place as the nation finds itself at a crucial juncture. Amid a deep slump triggered by a financial crisis last fall, Japan's status as a global economic power is waning rapidly, with China poised to supplant Japan as the world' second-largest economy within a year or two. Many Japanese, weary of a growing income gap, decry the deregulatory policies of recent years.

"We need to see changes," said Kunio Takahashi, 65 years old, who voted for a DPJ candidate. "Although we still don't know how it will turn out, it's better that a different party will try to change our government."

As a solution, party is offering an ambitious social-spending plan that includes a child allowance of $3,300 a year, meant as a solution to Japan's declining population and rising average population age, among other initiatives. It also proposes to reevaluation Japan's historically strong ties with the U.S. and explore greater regional alliances.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125160894574169933.html?mod=djemalertNEWS#printMode