Turning his back on the Liberal Democratic Party's traditional campaign strategy and gambling his political career, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi turned the political landscape upside down with a historic landslide victory in Sunday's election.
The LDP's stunning victory gives the party a clear majority for the first time in 15 years, and calls are likely to grow for Koizumi to continue serving as prime minister beyond next September, when he said he would bow out.
The election result will also likely lead the LDP, whose power base has traditionally resided in rural areas, to shift its policies and election focus more toward urban voters with no particular party affiliation, observers say.