The Liberal Democratic Party's crushing election defeat brings to an end its cozy relationship with the bureaucracy, which the victorious Democratic Party of Japan has promised to weaken.
Thousands of ministry officials now must come to terms with the DPJ's promised reforms, which include stripping the bureaucracy of its powers and control over the nation's purse strings.
"Bureaucrats are on alert and some are feeling anxiety," said Motofumi Asai, former head of the Foreign Ministry's China section and current head of the Hiroshima Peace Institute. "(But) the DPJ won't be able to accomplish much by labeling ministry officials as the root of all evil."