Miyazawa loses no-confidence vote

1993 - Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa lost a crucial no-confidence vote in Parliament that set the stage for elections and could signal the end of 38 years of single-party rule. After a humiliating defeat in what should have been a ruling party controlled Lower House, Miyazawa dissolved Parliament to trigger snap elections in late July. “What happened was very unfortunate,” a dejected-looking Miyazawa said. The Premier was laid low by public disgust over his failure to push through legislation to halt rampant political corruption in the wake of three big payoff scandals in just five years, all involving senior ruling party lawmakers.