Japan begins a new governance by DPJ

The results finally came out, and the news was good for the Japan's opposition party, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), ending the half-century of almost unending rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and breaks a deadlock in parliament, ushering a new in a government that has promised to focus spending on consumers, cut wasteful budget outlays and reduce the power of bureaucrats.

"The people are angry with politics now and the ruling coalition. We felt a great sense of people wanting change for their livelihoods and we fought this election for a change in government," said Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama.

The ruling party loss ended a three-way partnership between the LDP, big business and bureaucrats that turned Japan into an economic juggernaut after the country’s defeat in World War Two. That strategy foundered when Japan’s "bubble" economy burst in the late 1980s and growth has stagnated since.

"This is about the end of the post-war political system in Japan, it marks the end of one long era, and the beginning of another one about which there is a lot of uncertainty." said Gerry Curtis, a Japanese expert at Columbia University.