LDP Presents Revised Proposal on Lower House Seat Cut

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday presented a revised proposal to cut the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives by 31.

The new plan was submitted by the party's Keisuke Suzuki, former justice minister, to a meeting among working-level officials from nine political parties on election system reform for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament. Participants decided to discuss the proposal in detail at their own parties.

The opposition Democratic Party for the People expressed certain understanding of the proposal, while the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's coalition partner, refrained from showing a clear-cut response. All opposition parties other than the DPFP expressed opposition.

The LDP-JIP coalition submitted to the special Diet session that ended in July a bill to automatically reduce the number of Lower House proportional representation seats by 45, or about 10 pct of all 465 seats in the chamber, unless the ruling and opposition parties reach agreement within a year. The bill has been carried over for continued deliberation.

The LDP hopes to reach a conclusion by the end of this month based on its latest proposal, but it remains to be seen if an agreement will be clinched.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]