The Japanese House of Representatives. AP Yonhap News. 

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), have agreed to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives (lower house) by more than 9%.

According to The Yomiuri Shimbun on the 22nd, the LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai agreed in working-level consultations the previous day to cut at least 45 seats from the current 465 seats in the House of Representatives.

The two parties plan to submit and pass the related bill during the current extraordinary session of the Diet, which ends on November 17th, and to finalize the specific reduction plan within one year of the law's enforcement through consultations between the ruling and opposition parties.

Nippon Ishin no Kai is insisting that a clause must be included in the bill stating that if a conclusion is not reached within one year, the number of proportional representation seats will be reduced by 50. However, the LDP has strong reservations about this, Yomiuri reported.

If only the proportional representation seats are reduced, minor parties with few seats and weak competitiveness in their electoral districts are expected to be significantly impacted.

Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, stated that he requested cooperation from Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), the second-largest opposition party, and received a positive response.

However, The Yomiuri Shimbun commented that "opposition parties are highly wary of a significant reduction solely in proportional representation seats," and that "it is uncertain whether understanding of the ruling parties' proposal will spread."

The LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai had previously agreed to a 10% reduction in the number of seats in the House of Representatives when they agreed to form a new coalition government on the 20th of last month.

The reduction in the number of seats in the House of Representatives is an issue that Nippon Ishin no Kai has emphasized as essential for political reform.

Yonhap News