Photo/Illutration Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), and Sanae Takaichi, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, at a news conference in the Diet on Oct. 20 (Takeshi Iwashita)

The ruling coalition partners on Dec. 1 agreed to push plans to reduce the number of Lower House seats by 10 percent, including 25 in single-seat districts and 20 from proportional representation.

The agreement was confirmed at a meeting between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

Both the LDP and Nippon Ishin intend to pass a bill on the 10-percent reduction during the current extraordinary Diet session. The plan was mentioned in the parties’ agreement to form the coalition.

“We agreed to reduce the number of seats by 10 percent based on the current numbers of seats in both the single-seat districts and the proportional representation districts,” Yoshimura, who is also Osaka governor, told reporters after the meeting at the prime minister’s office.

At a Nov. 21 working-level meeting, the two parties agreed to first pass a bill during the extraordinary session, then debate specifics at the Lower House election system council involving both ruling and opposition parties.

Nippon Ishin had insisted on ensuring “effectiveness” and requested that the bill include a provision stipulating that if no conclusion is reached within one year, 50 proportional representation seats would automatically be cut.

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