Tokyo, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has formally presented its revised proposal to reduce the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives by 31. The proposal was submitted to a meeting Tuesday among working-level officials from nine ruling and opposition parties for discussions on a revision of the election system for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. While aiming to win an agreement on the revised plan, the LDP asked the eight other parties to express their support or opposition at the next meeting slated for Wednesday. The LDP and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, submitted to the special Diet session that ended in July a bill to reduce Lower House proportional representation seats by 45. The chamber has a total of 465 seats–289 single-seat constituency seats and 176 seats under the proportional representation system. At Tuesday’s meeting, the opposition Democratic Party for the People showed tolerance of the LDP plan. The JIP also sounded flexible. In addition to the reduction of 31 seats, former Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki of the LDP proposed the adoption of a new proportional representation seat allocation method that is relatively advantageous to smaller parties in place of the current format. He also proposed reducing the number of proportional representation blocs from 11 to 10 by integrating the Chugoku and Shikoku blocs in western Japan and allowing two or more parties to come up with a joint list of candidates for the proportional representation system. These have been sought by the DPFP. The ruling and opposition parties are aiming to reach by the end of this month an agreement on a draft plan to overhaul the Lower House election system. The DPFP, which has drawn up its own proposal to cut the number of proportional representation seats by 19, broadly supported the revised LDP proposal at the meeting. At a press conference in the city of Osaka, western Japan, on Tuesday, JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka Prefecture, reiterated the party’s stance of sticking to the ideal of shedding 45 proportional representation seats. Still, he hinted at the possibility of the JIP accepting the revised LDP proposal, saying, “We seriously take the fact that the LDP has amended its proposal by taking opposition views into account.” Komeito and the Democratic Reform Party decided to oppose the LDP proposal at their respective meetings Tuesday. It is “unreasonable” to reduce only proportional representation seats, Komeito policy chief Hiromasa Nakano told reporters. “We should avoid as much as possible pushing ahead with what the parties have not agreed,” Democratic Reform Party policy head Takayuki Ochiai said. Sanseito and Team Mirai are also expected to reject the LDP’s revised proposal. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
