The trouble with the DPJ is that it is a marriage of convenience between disparate groups that are united in their dislike of the LDP – both Mr Hatoyama and his immediate predecessor, Ichiro Ozawa, are defectors from the LDP – and once Mr Aso's party has been overthrown, they may very quickly discover that there is insufficient glue to hold them together. The party is made up of at least eight factions, ranging from a Left-wing grouping under former party president Naoto Kan, to an extremely conservative element that many observers believe make the LDP appear middle of the road.