The conservative Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, unceremoniously dumped by voters 3 years ago after more than 50 years in power, made a surprising comeback in elections held yesterday. LA Times: Exit polls by major Japanese broadcasters gave the Liberal Democratic Party 296 seats in Japan's 480-seat lower house, while its ally, the New Komeito Party, was projected to win 32. That would give them the two-thirds majority needed to overrule the upper house, perhaps breaking the deadlocks that have long stymied Japanese governments. The Liberal Democrats held a near-monopoly on power in Japan from 1955 to 2009, when they were booted out by the Democratic Party of Japan, now headed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.  But voters were disappointed with their handling of the economy and last year's tsunami, and are expected to hand them only about 70 seats. [...] Also expected to make gains are a crop of new small parties, pushing a nationalist agenda. The strongest of...(Read Full Post)