Japan General Election

As the Japanese people prepare to head to the polls for their country's latest election, politicians are making final attempts to capture the votes of the undecided. However, the result of tomorrow's general election should see the ruling DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) lose power since governing Japan for the first time in 2009.

The 2009 polls saw LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) losing control of the government after for more than fifty years of rule and Yukio Hatoyama as the new prime minister. Three years on, Hatoyama has already become a forgotten man. Japan has since had two other prime ministers, Naoto Kan and Yoshihiko Noda.

Current prime minister Noda hardly wields the same kind of influence and lacks the charisma of Hatoyama and opinion polls have not been positive for the DPJ leader. LDP's leader, Shinzo Abe is on course to become the country's prime minister for the second time. He first held the job in 2006.

There has been much dissatisfaction of both the LDP and DPJ governments which has led to the emergence of several "third parties". Yeah, they are literally the third party here to cause trouble, wreak havoc and add entertainment value to the election.

This bunch of supporting actors include the conservative New Komeito Party which looks strong but won't make much of an impact, the newly formed Japan Restoration Party-Sunrise Party coalition that has heavyweights like former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara and Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto and the Tomorrow Party of Japan takes an anti-nuclear stance.

Shinzo Abe is expected to lead Japan well in the short-term future although his proposals for the economy like forcing the central bank to buy bonds might endanger it as a whole. Abe also possesses the experience to run a government having held office for a year in 2006-2007.

The spotlight will no doubt be on Abe's foreign policy if he and his party gain power. He is known to have a tough stance against China regarding the disputed Senkaku Islands. Beijing has seen anti-Japanese sentiments at an all-time high after numerous protests took place.

Hopefully, Abe will continue to persevere and not leave in a hurry like what he did in 2007.