The Liberal Democratic Party's overwhelming victory Sunday means hawkish Shinzo Abe is going to be prime minister again.
But the election did not turn out this way because the LDP or Abe are particularly popular, but rather because the Democratic Party of Japan is so unpopular, and the real test for the LDP-New Komeito coalition will come in the Upper House election next summer, political analysts said.
"Voters did not seek a new choice, but wanted to punish the DPJ," said Takeshi Sasaki, a professor of politics and noted analyst at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. The LDP's win "doesn't mean voters hold the policies advocated by the party in high regard. If you interpret the results that way, it would be a mistake."
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