Opposition Party Wins Japanese Elections

Japan's Democratic Party claimed victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. The long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was toppled by the opposition Democratic Party, which won 308 out of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives, the larger of the two houses within Japan's legislature, the National Diet. The Democratic Party is led by Yukio Hatoyama, who will most likely be chosen for the position of prime minister in mid-September. See the Washington Post for an account of the election results.

Our country guide to Japan provides links to a number of government websites and related resources about this island nation, such as the following:

• Diet Functions, on the Japanese House of Representatives website, describes the functions of the National Diet.
• House of Councillors is the smaller of Japan's two parliamentary houses.
  
• Fundamental Structure of the Government of Japan summarizes the roles of the emperor, the diet, the cabinet, and the judiciary in Japan's government.
  
• Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress is a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report discussing diplomatic ties between the two nations.