7. An Election Tsunami
Yukio Hatoyama isn't one to smile frequently, but on the night of Aug. 30, he had plenty to cheer about. Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) not only ended the 55-year rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), but did so in stunning fashion, winning 308 of the 480 seats in the lower house Diet, gaining nearly 200 seats thanks to voter anger over Japan's sputtering economy. Hatoyama took over as prime minister on Sept. 16. (AP Photo)
