Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai, submitted a bill to the Diet on December 5th to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives (lower house) by approximately 10%.

According to local media, including Kyodo News, the LDP jointly submitted the bill to reduce the number of House of Representatives members with Nippon Ishin no Kai after reaching a final agreement.

The submitted bill includes an automatic reduction clause that will cut 45 seats, approximately 10% of the current 465 seats in the House of Representatives, even if specific reduction methods are not agreed upon through bipartisan consultation within one year of the law's enforcement.

The House of Representatives in Japan. EPA Yonhap News

Specifically, 20 proportional representation seats and 25 district seats are subject to automatic reduction.

If automatic reduction is applied, the total number of seats in the House of Representatives will be reduced to 420 (264 district seats and 156 proportional representation seats).

The ruling party's push for the reduction bill stems from the agreement reached between the LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai on November 20th to reduce the number of House of Representatives seats by 10% when they agreed to establish a new coalition government.

Initially, Nippon Ishin no Kai argued for reducing approximately 45 seats solely from proportional representation, but as opposition grew, particularly from Komeito, which has only proportional representation members, opinions coalesced around reducing 45 seats by combining both district and proportional representation seats.

However, criticism is emerging not only from the opposition parties but also from within the ruling LDP regarding the push for electoral system reform legislation without sufficient discussion.

Even within the LDP's General Council, which approved the seat reduction bill on the same day, there were some objections, with one member walking out in protest, stating it was "unacceptable."

General Council Chairman Arimura Haruko acknowledged internal party disagreements surrounding the bill to reporters and said, "We must avoid confusion while forming the coalition government," according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

Opposition parties argue that a bill to regulate corporate donations to resolve the LDP's political funding issues is more urgent and are questioning the ruling party's approach of pushing through the seat reduction bill at such speed.

Noda Yoshihiko, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, has criticized the method, stating, "Regardless of whether it's for or against, the method is too rough."

Consequently, even if the bill passes, the controversy within the political sphere may not easily subside.

In particular, backlash is expected during the process of selecting which district seats will be reduced in the future, based on the advantages and disadvantages for each party and individual lawmaker.

Yonhap News