Yano Takahiro, leader of the political party Team Mirai, said his party opposed a plan by three parties to cut 31 seats from the proportional representation tier of the House of Representatives, arguing the change would make it harder for new candidates and new parties to win seats.
Yano made the statement on X on Oct 28, 2026, after working-level talks among the Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People produced an agreement on the proposal. "Team Mirai opposed this plan," he wrote.
The three parties agreed on the outline of a plan that includes the 31-seat reduction, J-CAST News reported. The talks are part of a broader negotiation among parties on how Japan elects its lower house.
A smaller proportional tier
Japan's House of Representatives currently has 465 seats. Of those, 289 are single-member districts, where the candidate with the most votes wins, and 176 are filled by proportional representation, where voters pick a party and seats are allotted by each party's share of the vote.
Cutting 31 proportional seats would leave 145. Proportional seats are the main route into the Diet for smaller parties, which rarely win single-member districts.
Yano's objection rests on that point. He said the reduction would make it harder for new faces and new parties to emerge.
“Team Mirai opposed this plan.”Yano Takahiro, leader of Team Mirai, in a post on X on Oct 28, 2026
Reducing seats has long been a demand
Cutting the number of lawmakers has been a recurring demand in Japanese politics, framed by its supporters as a way to cut costs and answer public frustration with the Diet. The LDP has pushed the idea for years, and Nippon Ishin no Kai has made it a condition of cooperation on other legislation.
The three parties' agreement covers the working-level outline only. Any change to the seat count requires legislation, and the parties involved hold no automatic majority for it in the upper house.
Team Mirai was founded in 2025 and won seats in that year's House of Councillors election. Yano, an engineer and author, ran for Tokyo governor in 2024 and finished third.
The party has built its support largely on online campaigning and on voters who back new entrants over established parties. A smaller proportional tier would work against that base directly.
Whether the three parties can carry the plan through the Diet, and whether other parties join them, remains open. Team Mirai's opposition does not block the bill on its own.