Japan set to vote for more interventionist government

6pm: As expected the LDP has been crushed in Japan's election. The Democratic Party of Japan has won more than 300 of the 480 seats in the Lower House elections.  The LDP's Leader, Taro Aso, has already resigned.

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Japan's Liberal Democratic Party has ruled the nation for all but 11 months of the years since 1955 but that domination is set to end today. The opposition Democratic Party is expected to win a landslide. The DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) are so untested that noone really knows what kind of government they will be. The DPJ manifesto suggests, however, that there will be an increase in workers' rights, more support for farmers, toll-free motorways, a higher minimum wage and a less supportive attitude to American foreign policy. The DPJ has attacked American "market fundamentalism" and vowed to build a Japanese economy built on the concept of "fraternity".  See Wall Street Journal and Economist reports.