When voters went to the polls on Sunday, they were casting ballots in the least predictable Upper House election in decades.
The ruling coalition parties — the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — were foundering in the polls, but they were counting on their vote-getting machines as they had for decades. The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), had a massive opportunity to seize additional seats. Meanwhile, smaller conservative parties like the newly established Sanseito were storming onto the scene. For political watchers, any outcome among the lot was possible.
What happened on Sunday was nothing short of a substantial win for conservative politics in Japan — just not for the LDP. For the LDP, Sunday's election marks the first time the once-proud party has lost a majority in both houses since its foundation in 1955.
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