The Democratic Party of Japan has made a fresh start under new chief Ichiro Ozawa, known for his "iron fist" leadership. His first priority is to revitalize the top opposition party, which has lost public trust following the fiasco over a fake e-mail.

To breathe life into the party, Ozawa vows to push "party unity." Toward that end, he appointed Naoto Kan, his foe in the head-to-head party presidential election, as his deputy, and retained all the party executives, including secretary general Yukio Hatoyama.

Ozawa, often criticized for his autocratic political style, has depended on a handful of close aides to make important decisions behind closed doors. He is also known as the "destroyer" for creating and breaking up political parties.