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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Japan votes in landmark election | Japan votes in landmark election |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Voting is under way in Japan in a general election which looks set to bring a historic change of government. | |
| Opinion polls predict victory for the Democratic Party of Japan after more than 50 years of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party. | Opinion polls predict victory for the Democratic Party of Japan after more than 50 years of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party. |
| Japan is suffering record unemployment and its economy is struggling to emerge from a bruising recession. | Japan is suffering record unemployment and its economy is struggling to emerge from a bruising recession. |
| Turnout is expected to be high and about 10% of eligible voters cast early ballots on Saturday. | Turnout is expected to be high and about 10% of eligible voters cast early ballots on Saturday. |
| The conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Taro Aso, has governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955. | |
| But analysts say voters blame it for the current economic malaise - and are angry enough to opt for change. | |
| Several media polls predict that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will win more than 300 seats in the 480-seat lower house of parliament, reversing the election result of 2005. | |
| Polls close at 2000 (1100 GMT) on Sunday. Japanese media will announce the results of exit polls immediately afterwards. | |
| 'Changing history' | |
| As campaigning drew to a close, DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama said the election could be historic. | |
| ANALYSIS Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo | ANALYSIS Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo |
| Many people say they want a change. | Many people say they want a change. |
| While the LDP brought great economic might for Japan it also brought years of stagnation and more recently a crushing recession. | While the LDP brought great economic might for Japan it also brought years of stagnation and more recently a crushing recession. |
| Another factor is leadership. Taro Aso is the third LDP prime minister in the last three years. | Another factor is leadership. Taro Aso is the third LDP prime minister in the last three years. |
| They have been seen as ineffectual and that is why people might wish to vote for change. | They have been seen as ineffectual and that is why people might wish to vote for change. |
| "At last, it is the election tomorrow, one that we will be able to tell the next generation changed Japanese history," he told crowds in Sakai in the west of Japan on Saturday. | "At last, it is the election tomorrow, one that we will be able to tell the next generation changed Japanese history," he told crowds in Sakai in the west of Japan on Saturday. |
| The centrist DPJ says it will shift the focus of government from supporting corporations to helping consumers and workers - challenging the status quo that has existed since the end of World War II. | |
| It has promised to cut waste within the bureaucracy and use the funds to increase welfare spending. | |
| But Mr Aso questioned whether the DPJ had enough experience to govern. | |
| "Can you trust these people? It's a problem if you feel uneasy whether they can really run this country," he told a rally outside Tokyo. | "Can you trust these people? It's a problem if you feel uneasy whether they can really run this country," he told a rally outside Tokyo. |
| I strongly feel that people will vote for the DPJ out of necessity because there's been too much negative press for Taro Aso Kikuchi Daijiro, 20, college student, Oita class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8223982.stm">Japan election: Voters' views class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8204994.stm">New tricks as election looms class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8168838.stm">Profile: Yukio Hatoyama class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/6992661.stm">Profile: Taro Aso | |
| The DPJ already controls Japan's upper house with the support of smaller parties including the Social Democrats. | The DPJ already controls Japan's upper house with the support of smaller parties including the Social Democrats. |
| It won control of the house in July 2007, amid voters' anger at a series of scandals and the loss of millions of pension payment records. | |
| Correspondents say voters' desire for change after so many years under the LDP could be a crucial factor. | Correspondents say voters' desire for change after so many years under the LDP could be a crucial factor. |
| Tokyo University political science professor Takashi Mikuriya told Japanese media that the election "is more about emotions than policies". | Tokyo University political science professor Takashi Mikuriya told Japanese media that the election "is more about emotions than policies". |
| "Most voters are making the decision not about policies but about whether they are fed up with the ruling party," he said. | "Most voters are making the decision not about policies but about whether they are fed up with the ruling party," he said. |