THE CENTRIST REFORM ALLIANCE (CRA) began with grand ambitions(宏大的抱负). In January two of Japan’s main opposition groups announced a merger of their parties in the powerful lower house ahead of an election, hoping to be a match for(与…匹敌，势均力敌) the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Instead, the LDP triumphed and the CRA flopped(失败，惨败), winning just 49 of the 167 seats its parties had held before the vote. On August 28th the CRA members announced they could not agree on a merger in the upper house; three days later, the CRA indicated it would disband(解散，遣散) in the lower house too, less than a year after it was formed.
中间派改革联盟（CRA）起初雄心勃勃。今年1月，日本两个主要反对党在大选前宣布在权力更大的众议院合并，希望与执政的自民党（LDP）一较高下。然而，自民党大获全胜，CRA却惨遭失败，仅赢得其政党此前所拥有的167个席位中的49席。8月28日，CRA成员宣布无法就参议院合并达成一致；三天后，CRA表示也将在众议院解散，此时距离其成立还不到一年。
The CRA has failed to solve deeper problems in Japan’s mainstream opposition. It merged the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main successor(继承者，继任者) to the opposition party that held power(执政，掌权) from 2009 to 2012, and Komeito, formerly in coalition with the LDP. Both have struggled to elevate(提升，提拔) fresh leaders and to appeal to(吸引，呼吁) younger voters.
CRA未能解决日本主流反对派中的深层问题。它合并了中左翼的立宪民主党（CDP）——2009年至2012年执政的反对党的主要继承者——以及曾与自民党联合执政的公明党。两党都难以推举出新的领导人，也难以吸引年轻选民。
The shambles(混乱局面，一团糟) will mean less pressure on the LDP and more room for upstart(暴发户，新贵) populist parties. The LDP has dominated Japanese politics since its founding in 1955. When the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) swept into power(以压倒性优势上台) in 2009, it seemed to herald(预示，宣布) the emergence of two-party politics. But the DPJ governed haphazardly(杂乱无章地，随意地). It was unlucky to be in power when a big earthquake and tsunami struck in 2011, triggering a meltdown(熔毁，崩溃) at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The fallout(后果，余波；放射性沉降物) has made its successor party, the CDP, radioactive.
这种混乱局面将意味着自民党面临的压力减小，而新兴民粹政党将有更多空间。自民党自1955年成立以来一直主导日本政治。2009年日本民主党（DPJ）大举执政时，似乎预示着两党政治的出现。但民主党执政毫无章法。2011年大地震和海啸来袭时，它不幸在任，引发了福岛核电站的熔毁。这一后果使其继任政党CDP变得“具有放射性”。