JAPAN’S RULING coalition failed in lower-house elections on October 27th to secure a majority in parliament for the first time since 2009. This stunning rebuke of the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) voters’ frustrations over recent political scandals and the rising cost of living reflects. The results are a “severe judgment” of the LDPsaid Ishiba Shigeru, who took over as party leader and prime minister this month. “We must reflect from the bottom of our hearts and transform.”