Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which is pushing to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives (lower house), has decided to proceed with a plan to cut 10% of its seats, solely from proportional representation seats, despite opposition from other parties.

According to Jiji Press and other sources on the 4th, LDP Secretary-General Suzuki Shunichi announced at a meeting of the Political System Reform Headquarters held at the party headquarters that they would reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives by 10% from the current 465, and that the reduction would target 45 proportional representation seats.

He explained that he recently received instructions from Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who also heads the LDP, to consolidate party opinions to promote a reduction in the number of House of Representatives seats, focusing on proportional representation.

Prime Minister of Japan Takaichi Sanae speaking in the National Diet [Kyodo=Yonhap News Archive photo]

Suzuki stated that there are concerns that local voices may not be properly reflected given the declining population, and indicated an intention to hasten the reduction in the number of seats, focusing on proportional representation seats which are not tied to specific electoral districts.

Previously, the LDP had pledged to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives by 10% in its manifesto for the general election held in February.

However, after the LDP swept a large number of single-member constituencies in that election, the party made a sharp shift in its strategy towards reducing proportional representation seats, leaving the single-member constituency seats, where significant internal opposition was expected, unchanged.

Consequently, opposition parties, which have a high proportion of proportional representation seats, are strongly opposing this move.

Currently, of the total 465 seats in the Japanese House of Representatives, 176 are proportional representation seats. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan holds 42 out of its total 49 seats through proportional representation. The Social Democratic Party (15 seats) and Team Mirai (11 seats) are composed entirely of proportional representation members. If the LDP's plan is implemented, the barrier to entry for small parties into the National Diet will significantly increase.

Upon hearing the news that the LDP, under Prime Minister Takaichi's directive, intended to reduce the number of seats by 10% solely from proportional representation seats, Ogawa Junya, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticized it by saying, "It is highly incongruous for the Prime Minister, the head of the executive branch, to give instructions regarding the number of seats in the House of Representatives."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Takaichi attended a budget committee meeting of the House of Representatives on the same day and explained a plan to lower the food consumption tax to 1%.

He stated that by lowering the price of groceries through a reduction in the food consumption tax, the government would support the restaurant industry, which could be impacted by a preference for home cooking.