Three Parties Hit a Deal on Reduction of Diet Seats

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP) and the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) agreedon October 28th to reduce 31 seats in proportional district of the Lower House. While the LDP and JIP have been asserting that 45 seats, worth 10 percent of all the seats in the Lower House, the DPP opposed the idea. As the leading coalition made a compromise to accept DPP’s proposals, those three parties reached a deal. The leading coalition secured a simple majority in both chambers of the Diet. 

Upholding an agreement for coalition partnership in October 2025, the LDP and JIP sponsored a bill to reduce 45 seats of reduction. The bill faced protest from opposition parties, including the DPP, because reduction in proportional representatives had greater impact on small parties than major ones. As other opposition parties fundamentally doubted necessity of reducing Diet seats, the DPP proposed an alternative option that would reduce 19 seats in the proportional district.

 

Finding a hope to cooperate with the DPP, the LDP revised its original plan and proposed 31 seats of reduction. The reason of changing from 45 seats to 31 was to adjust the number based on decline of population. The DPP has been arguing that the seat reduction should be made according to decline of population in Japan. “Solution rather than confrontation” is the main slogan of the DPP. It is likely that the DPP seeks a possibility of forming a coalition with the LDP.

 

To secure DPP’s approval, the LDP accepted some other opinions on reform of election system. The DPP demanded integration of two blocks, Chugoku and Shikoku, among eleven blocks for proportional district. It has been getting hard for small parties to get seats in Chugoku and Shikoku, because of decline of population. The integration gives them more chances to have a seat. The leader of DPP, Yuichiro Tamaki, is elected from a single-seat district in Shikoku and have certain influence in the elections there. The LDP accepted the DPP’s idea.

 

The LDP also agreed on introducing integrated slate by multiple parties. The calculation of winners in proportional representatives will be changed from D’Hondt method to Sainte-Lague method which is advantageous for small parties. Those are also to give more chance to small parties. Instead, the three parties shared an idea of changing threshold for a candidate who lost in single-seat district to resurrect in proportional district from achieving one-tenth of all the viable votes to one-sixth.

 

Knowing that the issue is for the LDP to maintain coalition with the JIP that sticks to reduction of Diet seat as its own agenda for political reform, the other opposition parties firmly oppose it. As the Diet has unwritten rule that the reform of election system needs comprehensive consent of the parties, it is expected that further discussion will be made in current session of the Diet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Takaichi’s Surge in Poll

The first poll on Sanae Takaichi administration marked high approval rate among past prime ministers. Although Takaichi failed in maintaining the leading between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, the respondents positively accepted the new cooperative framework by the LDP and Japan Innovation Party (JIP). However, people are still skeptical about Takaichi’s handlings of political reform over political funds or reduction of Diet seats. In the  poll  of  Yomiuri Shimbun  right after establishment of Takaichi Cabinet, the approval rate of the cabinet was 71 percent with 18 percent of disapproval.  Asahi Shimbun  reported its  poll  with 68 percent of approval for Takaichi Cabinet and disapproval at 19 percent a week after new administration started. The  poll  of  Mainichi Shimbun  showed mostly the same result with 65 percent of approval and 22 percent of disapproval.   Those polls indicated that Takaichi Cabin...
Read more

Takaichi Delivers Economic Order

At the starting point of her cabinet, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered her ministers to grapple with the issues that would be necessary for implementing her promises in the presidential election of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) or the coalition agreement with Japan Innovation Party (JIP). The first focus of Takaichi looked to be on economic policies.   On the first day of her cabinet, Takaichi sent out a letter to her ministers on October 22 nd . Takaichi demanded in the letter to strengthen Japanese economy by changing people’s concerns on their life or future into hope. It contained three issues to deal with: achieving a strong economy, defending people’s life in local communities and enhancement of diplomacy and defense.   To achieve strong economy, Takaichi proposed introduction of “investment of crisis management” and “responsible and active fiscal policy.” She  explained  investment of crisis management to be preemptive and strategic investment on various...
Read more

Sober Leaders of Japan and China Discuss Mutual Benefit

The Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, had her first meeting with the President of People’s Republic of China (PRC), Xi Jinping, in the backdrop of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31 st . Both leaders agreed on maintaining a basic principle of their bilateral relations for years, called “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.” However, it became a meeting without smile, reflecting their complicated relations these years. At the beginning of the meeting, Xi  told  Takaichi that he was ready for development of China-Japan relations on the right track. Takaichi replied that she hoped to reduce various issues between their countries and increase understandings and cooperation to achieve certain result. Takaichi insisted on developing personal relationship with Xi through dialogues. They  concurred  on building “constructive and stable Japan-China relations.”   Two leaders raised a lot...
Read more