DPJ couldn't have picked a worse time to come to power. After decades of effectively one party rule by the LDP, the DPJ under Hatoyama finally took over a country that was soon reeling from global economic crisis and the Tsunami/nuclear meltdown, neither of which it had answers for. It's likely the LDP wouldn't have done any better, but the first rule of politics is never be in charge when the merde hits the ventillator. Surely DPJ is wishing it lost the 2009 election, which would allow it to retake power on a later election and start from a clean slate after the horse has escaped the barn.