As the country has been ruled by the same political party almost uninterruptedly for over half a century, some of the most unexpected problems are surfacing now that another force has seized power.
The Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan are engaged in a heated tug-of-war over personnel appointments for key Diet posts and even how much floor space the two can secure in the Lower House building. And neither side is ready to back down.
To begin with, the DPJ wants the posts of both the speaker and vice speaker of the House of Representatives, despite the chamber's custom of giving the speaker's post to the No. 1 party and the vice speaker's post to the second-largest party, which is now the LDP.
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