The Democratic Party of Japan victory was large enough to leave a grin even on the face of "iron-armed" deputy leader Ichiro Ozawa.
The DPJ, favored since early in the campaign to win a firm majority in the Lower House, set up its base Sunday in the fashionable Laforet Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo, rather than the small DPJ headquarters building in the Nagata-cho district.
The party arranged more than 400 seats for both domestic and international reporters, many of whom let out a roar when early predictions reported an overwhelming margin of victory.