Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet resigned en masse Wednesday morning, quietly closing the door on the Democratic Party of Japan's first attempt to lead the nation and making way for the old Liberal Democratic Party's return to power.
During a Cabinet meeting in the morning, Noda thanked his ministers for their work and instead of holding a news conference, issued a statement in which he stressed that his team devoted its 39 months in office to dealing with the devastating March 11, 2011, quake and tsunami, the Fukushima nuclear disaster and economic revitalization.
Torn by internal strife and a divided Diet with an Upper House in the hands of the opposition, many key issues were left pending, some perhaps to be sorted out by hawkish LDP Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is embarking on his second stint leading the government.