Japan Opposition Camp to Demand Seat-Cut Discussions Be Put Off

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan's opposition forces agreed Monday to demand postponement of discussions on the ruling coalition-proposed bill to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.

The agreement came at a meeting of Diet affairs chiefs from the opposition leader Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, Komeito, Reiwa Shinsengumi, the Japanese Communist Party and Yushi no Kai, a group of independent lawmakers in the Lower House.

Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's coalition partner, in particular hopes that the bill will be passed into law during the ongoing Diet session through Dec. 17.

But the opposition parties and the in-house group decided to call on the ruling coalition to rather give priority to discussing bills to regulate political donations from companies and other organizations at the Lower House Special Committee on Political Reform, which is chaired by a CDP member.

"(The committee) will not be able to enter deliberations (on the seat-cut bill) until a conclusion is reached on strengthening restrictions on organizational donations," CDP Diet affairs head Hirofumi Ryu told reporters after the meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]