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Japan Gets Ready for Big Elections--And Big Change

The 54-year reign of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party is expected to come to an end on Sunday in the country's first general election in four years. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), has little experience leading on a national level, but there are strong indications that voters will overwhelmingly support the party and its ambitious platform of reforming Japan's broken system.

After half a century Japan, it seems, is finally clamoring for change. The LDP machine, which lifted Japan from its postwar doldrums, has been unable to deliver the needs of the public for years --some would argue decades. Now, faced with an uncertain future and an economy in crisis, Japan's electorate is expected to call for a shift in direction--and also to say that they have a choice in which party leads their country. "This is the most important election since 1955," says Gerald Curtis, a Japanese politics expert who teaches at Columbia University. "The DPJ will almost certainly win the majority--without a coalition partner. This is a huge, huge change."...

... The electorate is already showing a level of political interest higher than in previous general elections. More than three million people have cast early ballots, up more than 50% from the 2005 general election. And voter turnout, for 104 million eligible voters, could reach 70%--the highest rate for a general election since 1990...
Read entire article at Time