Commentary Japan held its election for the Diet Lower House (think: U.S. House of Representatives) on Oct. 31. Japanese elections rarely result in drastic change—and this one didn’t, either. What happened? The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost some seats, but retained a majority—even without Komeito, its coalition partner’s seats added in. Since its founding in 1955, the LDP has governed Japan almost without interruption, except for two brief periods—in 1993-1994 and 2009-2012—when left-leaning opposition parties prevailed. Foreign reporters and observers often describe the LDP as a “conservative” party—perhaps because it generally supports the U.S.-Japan alliance. But “conservative” doesn’t quite capture the LDP. The party’s left wing includes politicians who are curiously (and dangerously) soft on China and uninterested in a stronger defense. Meanwhile, the LDP’s right wing calls for a tough stance on China and bulking up national defense. And there’s everything in between. Typifying the difficulty of categorizing …