The Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), jointly submitted a bill Friday that would slash at least 45 Lower House seats by the end of next year, after a bumpy negotiation process that saw the JIP threaten to leave the ruling bloc.
The ruling coalition agreed to fine-tune details for the 10% seat cut within a year alongside a separate, broader debate with opposition parties on a revision of the electoral system. If the parties fail to come to an agreement within a year, 25 seats from single-seat constituencies and 20 proportional representation seats will be cut.
¡°The number of seats in elections or electoral systems are the foundation of democracy,¡± LDP veteran Katsunobu Kato, who spearheaded deliberations with the JIP, told reporters after the bill¡¯s submission.
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