Son Sann vs Yoshihiko Noda

Son Sann founded the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) as a non-communist resistance movement against the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea. The KPNLF became a major faction in the Cambodian civil war.

Son Sann joined the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) as Prime Minister, an alliance of non-communist and Khmer Rouge factions opposing the Vietnamese occupation. He served until 1991.

Son Sann was a signatory to the Paris Peace Accords, which ended the Cambodian-Vietnamese War and established a framework for a UN-supervised transition to democracy. He represented the KPNLF.

Noda became Prime Minister in September 2011, succeeding Naoto Kan. He was the last leader of the Democratic Party of Japan before Shinzo Abe's return to power in 2012, marking the end of the DPJ's brief period in government.

Noda pushed through a controversial bill to raise the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2014, despite opposition within his own party. The tax hike was intended to address Japan's massive public debt but cost the DPJ public support.

Noda dissolved the House of Representatives in November 2012, triggering a snap election. The DPJ suffered a historic defeat, winning only 57 seats, while the LDP under Shinzo Abe returned to power. This ended DPJ rule.

Noda's government nationalized three of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands by purchasing them from a private Japanese owner. This move provoked massive anti-Japan protests in China and severely strained bilateral relations.