In a stunning development early Monday morning, Banri Kaieda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan learned he lost his Diet seat in Sunday's Lower House election and is now set to quit as leader of the nation's largest opposition force.
It is unprecedented for the head of a political party, who generally receives wide media exposure, to lose a Diet seat in an election.
Kaieda's failure has underlined the DPJ's weakening grip on swing voters in urban areas, particularly in Tokyo, which is known for having a high concentration of such voters.