At the 15th GRIPS Forum held on 18th May, 2009, we invited two notable statesmen from the House of Representatives; Mr. Nobuteru Ishihara of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Mr. Koichiro Genba of the Democratic Party of Japan, as panelists to debate on the topic of: andldquo;Japanese Politics at a Turning Point: Challenges of the Forthcoming General Election and the Prospects Beyondandrdquo;. GRIPS Vice President Professor Jun Iio, as moderator, asked for their opinions on current hot issues in view of the upcoming general election, such as how do they see the presidential transition within the DPJ, future political trends, the focal point of the next general election, and other policy issues. With recent significant changes occurring in the political arena, the debate gathered much interest, and a large audience attended the seminar including domestic and international students, journalists, the general publics as well as from over 40 Embassies. Many questions were raised during the Q andamp; A session.