Afundamental change in Japanese politics means that neo-conservatives now are meeting fewer obstacles.The wide margin enjoyed by the Liberal Democratic Party led by Shinzo Abe in Japan's July 2013 election for the upper house (House of Councillors) was a second resounding victory for the LDP,which had won in the lower house (House of Representatives) at the end of 2012.Whether or not the LDP can assume the long-term reins of government,the party will have a comparatively steady lock on the Japanese political arena in the short term.The so-called “twisted Diet” or “distorted” two-house system that has existed since 2007 will be nonexistent.Abe' s open intention to “cast off the postwar system”translates into a dynamic turn toward increased nationalism,militarism,and domestic repression as the answer to economic stagnation.Neo-conservatives,led by Abe,seek to convince constituents that economic revival depends on discarding an outdated constitution and creating new rules that favor Japan' s military might.