The ultimate goal of the Democratic Party of Japan to wrest power from the current ruling triumvirate is seen to mainly hinge on whether party leader Yukio Hatoyama can steer his party to victory in next summer's House of Councilors election.
Hatoyama will formally be re-elected for a second term at a party convention today. When he shook hands with DPJ policy chief Naoto Kan and declared victory in the House of Representatives election in June, the DPJ's target of taking the helm of government seemed a goal that could be reached.
But while the ruling parties -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- lost nearly 60 seats in the general election, the DPJ only gained 32, indicating voters are not ready to put Hatoyama and his fellow party ranks in the driver's seat.