The Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People have abandoned broad consensus and moved to submit a bill cutting 31 of the 465 Lower House seats, all from proportional representation, Hokkaido Shimbun reported.
The three parties hold majorities in both chambers and intend to pass the bill on the strength of their numbers. Many opposition parties oppose shrinking a proportional system designed to reflect diverse public opinion. If the bloc forces a vote, passage of the consumption tax cut bill the government treats as its top priority could be in doubt.
"Realizing the seat cut in a properly reasoned way is what answers the public's wishes," said former justice minister Keisuke Suzuki, who served as the LDP's point man, telling reporters on the 12th what the bill is meant to achieve.
Nine ruling and opposition parties had been in talks since early October, meant to reach conclusions on partially revising the current parallel system of single-member districts and proportional representation. The talks collapsed after the LDP and Ishin brought in the Democratic Party for the People, which is open to cutting proportional seats in line with population decline.
Suzuki said early in the talks that the bill could not be drafted without a degree of agreement. Only a third of the participants back it. Takayuki Ochiai, policy chief of the Democratic Reform Association, said he was sorry to see a stance of making no effort toward unanimous agreement.
The ruling side argues that cutting proportional seats will not change any party's share of the chamber. The pain is small for the LDP and Ishin, which win many single-member districts. Switching the proportional allocation method from the d'Hondt method to a modified Sainte-Laguë method tends to give medium-sized parties more seats, while small parties can find it harder to win their first seat.
The bill also tightens the threshold for returning to the Diet through the proportional block. Smaller parties have attacked it. Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Conservative Party of Japan, called it too hasty and an outrageous argument. Akira Koike, secretary-general of the Japanese Communist Party, called it a discarding of the public will.
Ruling and opposition parties had discussed fundamental electoral reform in a council under the Speaker of the Lower House before the inter-party talks began. The three parties describe the seat-cut bill as a measure pending a conclusion on that fundamental reform, and stress it is provisional. If the fundamental reform is not ready in time, the next Lower House election could be held under the new law.
Cutting seats is a flagship Ishin policy, written into its coalition agreement with the LDP, and negative voices remain strong inside the LDP. A senior LDP figure said the coalition agreement must not become a sacred banner.
Together the three parties also clear a majority in the Upper House, so the bill is likely to pass in the current Diet session. It could still affect deliberation of the related bill containing the consumption tax cut on food and drink that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calls her long-held wish.
Every opposition party opposes the seat-cut bill in the Lower House. Showing a willingness to force it through carries the risk of losing support from Komeito and others. A former LDP cabinet minister voiced alarm: "The worst scenario is having the consumption tax cut bill taken hostage."