The opposition camp remains splintered and powerless against the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party. While two opposition parties are in final talks for a merger, that alone will not change the political landscape in which the LDP-New Komeito alliance dwarfs all other forces in both chambers of the Diet.
The lack of effective pressure or scrutiny by a powerful opposition has enabled the Abe administration to cruise through the implementation of controversial policies, such as its decision last month to change the government's long-standing interpretation of the Constitution to enable Japan to engage in collective self-defense.
Lawmakers in the opposition camp need to realize that they have little chance of having any real political impact unless they overcome differences among themselves and put up a more united stand vis-a-vis the ruling bloc.