“It makes me excited as one citizen of the nation, too, more than for usual elections,” she said. Going into the election, the Liberal Democrats still commanded the highest level of support, with just over 31 percent of voters endorsing the party in a poll by NHK, the public broadcaster. The Constitutional Democrats received support from less than 10 percent of voters surveyed. Seven disparate opposition parties came together to form a government, but it collapsed within just 11 months. In 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan won in a landslide victory as voters sought to punish the Liberal Democrats for failing to resuscitate the moribund economy.

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Persons: ”, Masako Tanaka, Ishiba, “, — Organizations: Liberal Democratic, Constitutional Democrats, Nihon, Liberal Democrats, NHK, Democratic Party of Japan Locations: Tokyo