NARA ¨C The Cabinet¡¯s decision last week to approve the redrawing of Japan¡¯s electoral map by eliminating one Lower House district from each of six prefectures (Aomori, Iwate, Mie, Nara, Kumamoto and Kagoshima) is the central government¡¯s response to a declining population that is increasingly concentrated in urban areas and to the vote disparity between rural voters and city dwellers.
The changes in the single-seat electoral districts, which were submitted to the Diet, reflect a panel¡¯s recommendations to the prime minister last month.
¡°I will do my best to pass the legislation at the earliest date to rectify vote disparities,¡± internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, who is in charge of drafting the legislation, told a news conference on May 16.
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