Secretary general of Japan’s ruling party says he and other top officials plan to step down

August 31st, 2009 Japan's election resultsHere are the standings in Japan's lower house of parliament after Sunday's elections, as compiled by the media. Official results have not been released.

August 31st, 2009 Opposition scrambles to create transition teamTOKYO — Japan's newly empowered leader Yukio Hatoyama rushed Monday to select Cabinet ministers and start making good on promises to revive the world's second-largest economy after his party's historic trouncing of the ruling conservatives. Hatoyama said in a victory speech late Sunday that he would focus on making a quick and smooth transition, and that his priority was choosing the nation's next finance minister.

August 31st, 2009 TOKYO - Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama was expected to hold talks Monday with leaders of several minor opposition parties on forming a new coalition government. The DPJ secured a comfortable majority of 308 of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives election Sunday, ending more than 50 years of nearly uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

August 30th, 2009 Ruling party concedes defeat in Japan electionTOKYO — Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso conceded defeat in elections Sunday as media exit polls indicated the opposition had won by a landslide, sending the conservatives out of power after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule amid widespread economic anxiety and desire for change. "These results are very severe," Aso said in a news conference at party headquarters, conceding his party was headed for a big loss.

July 21st, 2009 Background on Japan's parliamentary electionsPrime Minister Taro Aso dissolved Japan's parliament ahead of national elections to be held Aug. 30. Here is background on what the elections mean: THE VOTE — The elections will be the first for the lower house of parliament since 2005, when charismatic Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led the ruling party to a surprisingly broad success by vowing to rejuvenate the ruling bloc and carry out massive reforms, including the privatization of the postal system.

July 13th, 2009 TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso Monday agreed with top lawmakers of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to dissolve the Diet's lower house and call early elections for Aug 30. The decision came after the ruling coalition of the LDP and the New Komeito party lost its majority in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly in an election Sunday and the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan became the strongest party in the chamber.

July 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Facing the challenge of factionalism and rebellion, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Sunday dissolved its Kerala unit and appointed a new executive committee in its place. In the larger interest of the party's state unity and discipline, the PAC (political affairs committee) unanimously resolved to dissolve the Kerala unit of the party headed by M.P.

March 20th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) Thursday finalised a seat sharing plan while a miffed ally Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) walked out of the meeting on being denied the Kozhikode seat. LDF convener Vaikom Viswam told reporters that the Kozhikode seat has been taken over by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

March 5th, 2009 LUCKNOW - The Samajwadi Party Wednesday urged the Election Commission to remove six top officials of Uttar Pradesh, including Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, calling them 'agents' of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 'Samajwadi Party has demanded the removal of several officials, including six top officials who have been acting as agents of the BSP,' party spokesman Devendra Chaudhary told reporters after meeting a team of Election Commission officials here.

February 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a major reshuffle in the key committee of the ruling Congress party Thursday night ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was recalled as party general secretary. Azad has been given charge of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Puducherry as the party reshuffled Congress Working Committee (CWC), its highest decision-making body.

February 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a major reshuffle in the key committee of the ruling Congress party Thursday night ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was recalled as party general secretary. Azad has been given charge of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Puducherry as the party reshuffled Congress Working Committee (CWC), its highest decision-making body.

February 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a major reshuffle in the key committee of the ruling Congress party Thursday night ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was recalled as party general secretary. Azad has been given charge of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Puducherry as the party reshuffled Congress Working Committee (CWC), its highest decision-making body.

February 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a major reshuffle in the key committee of the ruling Congress party Thursday night ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was recalled as party general secretary. Azad has been given charge of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Puducherry as the party reshuffled Congress Working Committee (CWC), its highest decision-making body.

January 12th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's elder son M.K.

December 26th, 2008 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's son M.K.