Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (自由民主党, Jiyū-Minshutō?), frequently abbreviated to LDP, Jimintō (自民党?) or Lib Dems, is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election. Prior to 2009, the party had only been out of power for a brief 11 month period between 1993 and 1994. The LDP is not to be confused with the now-defunct Liberal Party (自由党, Jiyūtō?), which merged with the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party, in November 2003.
Read more about Liberal Democratic Party (Japan): Basic Principles, Structure, Factions, Performance in National Elections Until 1993, Recent History
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