NPR'S Julie McCarthy reports that the Japanese are gearing up to go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, but no surprises are expected. The Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto is expected to win, despite its involvement in recent scandals and charges of corruption. The LDP ruled Japan from 1955 to 1993, and after a short period out of power, it returned as the dominant force in a coalition government that ran the country since mid-1994.
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