How long did the Liberal-Democratic Party govern Japan without interruption after 1955?

The Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) governed Japan for nearly four decades of uninterrupted power from its formation in 1955 until 1993.1

While the party has held power almost continuously since 1955, its first period of unbroken rule ended in 1993 when several groups of representatives defected, leading the party to lose its majority in the House of Representatives and its control of the government for the first time.12