Two major opposition parties, Kibo no To (Party of Hope) and the Democratic Party, formally decided at a convention Monday to merge, but only 62 of their combined 107 members plan to join the new entity, their officials said.

This means the new party, named Democratic Party for the People, will likely fail to become the largest opposition party, leaving Japan's fractured opposition camp in disarray.

As of Monday, the DPP had 39 Lower House members and 23 Upper House members, according to an internal list shown to The Japan Times.