Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling pair and an opposition party have compiled a draft bill to reform the House of Representatives election system featuring a plan to shed 31 proportional representation seats.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its Japan Innovation Party ally and the opposition Democratic Party for the People plan to submit the bill to the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, within this week after their respective internal procedures. They aim to enact the legislation during the current extraordinary Diet session, which is scheduled to run until Dec. 12.

Under the draft bill, drawn up by the parties' working-level officials Monday, the number of seats allocated to the Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku-Shinetsu regional proportional representation blocs will be cut by two each to six, 10 and eight.

The number will be cut by three to 16 each for the northern Kanto and Tokyo blocs, and that for the Kyushu bloc will be 17, down also by three. Seats for the southern Kanto and Tokai blocs will decrease by four each to 19 and 17.

The Kinki bloc will see its number drop by five to 23. The Chugoku and Shikoku blocs will be integrated, with the new bloc to be given 13 seats, down by three from the combined 16 for the current two blocs.

Former Japanese Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki (center) of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party speaks at Monday's meeting of a project team among the LDP, its Japan Innovation Party ally and the opposition Democratic Party for the People for drafting a bill to reform the election system for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]