Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigns as head of the Democratic Party of Japan on Sunday.

SOUNDBITE: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (Japanese)

"The biggest responsibility for this loss lies with me as head of the party, and I will take full responsibility for this and resign as head of the Democratic Party of Japan."

Earlier Sunday, the opposition party - the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan - won in the general elections by a landslide .

Three years ago, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat - but the victory will give former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a second chance to run the country.