On Sunday, the Japanese people went to the polls for the election of the House of Councillors and handed a crushing defeat to the ruling Liberal Democratic party/Komeito coalition under prime minister Shinzo Abe. While the coalition will remain in power due to its dominance in the more powerful lower house, the outcome of this election will have serious ramifications for Japanese politics, leading to power struggles and much debate about the future of the LDP leadership.

The most important legacy will be the ascent of the opposition Democratic party of Japan to dominance inthe upper house; a status that itwill maintain at least until the next upper house election in 2010. The DPJ's success is a reflection of the Japanese people's desire for both a competitive process of policy formulation and increased collaboration between the parties. Japan faces problems that are in need of bipartisan solutions. In no area is this more apparent than foreign affairs.