Almost seven years have passed since the former Democratic Party of Japan lost power in 2012. Since then, the major opposition party has been split into small entities, leaving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the only strong political force in Japan. It's no exaggeration to say that political tension in the Diet has been lost in the face of the significantly weakened opposition camp.
However, today's two main opposition parties and another minor party recently decided to join forces to form kaiha parliamentary groups in both houses of the Diet in a bid to counterbalance the ruling bloc during the extraordinary Diet session slated to start Oct. 4.
The latest agreement was reached between the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People. The group led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in the Lower House also decided to take part. In the Upper House, the Social Democratic Party will join the group. As a result, the new parliamentary groups will have nearly 120 members in the Lower House and over 60 in the Upper House.