Following Friday's dissolution of the Lower House, opposition leaders began talking up their plans for a takeover of the Cabinet in the June 25 general election.
"The time for a decisive battle has finally come," said Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition force. "If the (ruling coalition) considers gaining a comfortable majority of 254 (seats) a victory, we will fight to prevent them from attaining that target."
Hatoyama said he wants the public to decide whether the current ruling bloc, consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and New Conservative Party, or a government centering around the DPJ would act more responsibly for Japan's future.