Not surprisingly, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a landslide victory in the recent upper house election.

Together with its partner New Komeito, the ruling coalition holds 135 out of the total 242 seats in the upper house. The Abe administration now enjoys majorities in both upper and lower houses, bringing an end to the "twisted Diet."

The election result once again demonstrated the dynamic reconstruction and reintegration of Japanese politics.

Democratic Party of Japan, the major opposition party, has been almost marginalized, with only 17 seats gained in the election.

Other opposition parties such as Your Party, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party, are also unable to unite into substantial opposition, due to internal divisions.

The balance of power in Japanese politics has greatly tilted toward LDP. The ruling coalition enjoys overwhelming advantages. LDP's domestic and foreign policy will come under no scrutiny in the foreseeable future.

With a stronger and more stable government, where will Japan be headed? What will Abe's agenda be after the latest upper house election?

First, domestically Abe will still have to continue focusing on "Abenomics." Though the official data shows that Japanese economy is recovering, ordinary people have not yet felt the benefits from "Abenomics."

On July 23, Japan joined its first Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiation session. TPP is part of Abe's growth strategy, the "third arrow" of "Abenomics."

Facing opposition from Japanese farmers, Abe has pledged to protect Japan's agriculture and grant no concessions on key issues in the negotiations.

Abe has just concluded his visit to three Southeast Asian countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, and he is scheduled to visit the Middle East in late August.

It is clear that the Abe administration is trying to develop closer partnerships with these countries to compensate for dwindling lost markets elsewhere.

Second, Abe will speed up the constitutional revision agenda.

According to one survey conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun, among the new upper house members, 74 percent support constitutional revision, while only 19 percent oppose it.

The ruling coalition has already ensured overwhelming majority for the revision in the lower house last December.

Third, Abe is committed to strengthening Japan's military power. This fiscal year, Japan's defense spending increased for the first time in 11 years.

Right after the election result was disclosed, Abe announced that the discussion on the right to collective self-defense would be restarted in August.

The collective self-defense right allows a country to counter-attack after an ally is attacked under international laws. Under Article 9, Japan is not currently able to exercise such as a right.

Fourth, Abe cannot afford to ignore exacerbated ties with China and South Korea.

Due to territorial disputes and historical issues, Abe has not yet carried out any bilateral or multilateral summits with China or South Korea.

There are signs that Japan is making diplomatic efforts to meet with Chinese leaders. However, the Abe administration's aggressive action of military expansion and tough stance on territorial disputes have become major barriers to bilateral rapprochement.

If Japan is to break out of its diplomatic predicament, Abe has to take pragmatic and sincere measures, rather than constantly making provocations.

Xie Zhihai, an assistant professor at Maebashi Kyoai Gakuen College in Japan