The special Diet session following the Oct. 22 Lower House election wrapped up Friday, coming to a lackluster end that shed little light on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's alleged scandals and saw the opposition struggle to maintain the upper hand in its battle to unseat him.
The monthlong session kicked off in early November by rubber-stamping Abe's re-election as prime minister, a protocol that followed a sweeping victory by his ruling coalition in the October general election.
Opposition lawmakers had originally hailed the session as a much-anticipated opportunity to grill Abe over two favoritism scandals that once significantly eroded his support.