Trounced, Japan's Ruling Party to Quit

Shift in power marks end of 50 years of conservative rule

(NEWSER) - Japan's parliament formally voted in Yukio Hatoyama as the country's new prime minister today, ending an almost half-century of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party, CNN reports. The LDP's Taro Aso and his cabinet resigned en masse earlier in the day. Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide election victory last month with an Obama-style message of change. The party plans a "trickle-up" strategy to revive the country's recession-ravaged economy by raising household incomes. More»

Half century of power expected to end today

(NEWSER) - Japanese voters began casting ballots today in a general election expected to clean house, reports the Financial Times. The Democratic Party of Japan will almost certainly thump the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled the nation 11 months out of the last 54 years. More»

Sunday election likely to end 54 years in power

(NEWSER) - Sunday will likely mark a milestone in Japanese politics as voters dump the Liberal Democratic Party after more than a half-century in power, the Washington Post reports. Even senior LDP leaders acknowledge that Yukio Hatoyama will probably trounce incumbent Prime Minister Taro Aso, and polls predict a staggering turnout with a record 89% of voters interested in the election. More»

(NEWSER) - Japanese PM Taro Aso dissolved parliament today to begin a watershed election that could break his party's 50-year grip on power, Reuters reports. In a nationwide TV address, Aso apologized for his shortcomings as a leader and for internal squabbling that cost his conservative party at recent local elections. Opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama, far ahead in the polls to become the next PM, said today that "This is a major, revolutionary election. We should face it with a sense of historic mission." More»

PM moves quickly to quell gaffe fallout

(NEWSER) - Japan still isn't laughing about the devastating nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Dai-ichi, but its newest ex-minister of the nuclear industry apparently thinks it's quite amusing. After returning from a trip to Fukushima on Thursday, Yoshio Hachiro reportedly rubbed against a journalist, joking, "I'll give you radiation." Hachiro resigned over the flap yesterday, just eight days after the government took office, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . More»