Recent polls have been fairly consistent in showing that a majority of Japanese voters would likely vote for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) while 26 percent will support the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Aug. 30 general election. If the DPJ wins, it will be only the second time the LDP has not controlled the Japanese government since 1955. The change in party, while perhaps historic, does not necessarily portend a wholesale change in Japan's direction, since the DPJ is constrained both by Japan's geopolitical realities and a lack of internal cohesion. The LDP has dominated Japan's political system for half a century, controlling the House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament) either outright or in coalition. And it is the more powerful lower house that controls the budget and selects the prime minister and Cabinet.