Acceptance of reduced number of seats, preparation for government; rift widens between National Democratic Party and opposition parties

The Democratic Party of Japan hopes to use the acceptance of the Liberal Democratic Party's proposal to revise the House of Representatives election system as a stepping stone toward the realization of a ``moderate multiparty coalition government'' (represented by Yuichiro Tamaki). Regarding proportional representation, it is judged that (1) introducing the ``uniform list system'' and (2) changing the seat allocation system to the ``modified sunlag system'' will work to the advantage of small and medium-sized parties. However, the rift between the opposition parties is widening after the government agreed to reduce the proportionality factor by 31 in return.

Liberal and national governments agree on proportional 31 reductions; bill to be jointly submitted to the current Diet session - House of Representatives election review

The unified list system allows different political parties to unify their proportional lists. The modified Sanlag style also makes it easier for small and medium-sized parties to win seats compared to the current D'Hondt style. On October 28, Motohisa Furukawa, acting representative of the Democratic People's Democratic Party, emphasized the significance of the move at a press conference after the decision to support the LDP's proposal, saying, ``The current system, which favors two major parties, will change to rules that are premised on multipartyism.''

The National Democratic Party positions the period until 2029 as a "period of government preparation," but it currently only holds a total of 53 seats in both houses of Congress. A senior party official pointed out, ``A multiparty system is the prerequisite for gaining power.You cannot gain power with a two-party system.'' He expressed the recognition that this review of the system will be a ``milestone'' in the administration's strategy.

The unified list system has long been advocated by the Democratic People's Democratic Party. By incorporating this, it becomes clear that the Liberal Democratic Party is trying to encourage the National Democratic Party to join the coalition in the future. In fact, party officials are already saying that they can use it to adjust their own and country's elections.

At the recent special Diet session, the ruling party submitted a bill for a proportional reduction of 45% and forced its deliberation. All opposition parties, which were affected by the loss of seats, moved to block the bill's passage.

However, the ruling party and the Democratic People's Democratic Party plan to submit a bill to the current Diet session that would reduce the number by 31 points proportionally and try to enact it. In response, Takayuki Ochiai, chairman of the Democratic Reform Association's policy research committee, expressed concern that ``the Diet will lose its sense of tension.'' Tomoko Tamura, chairwoman of the Communist Party of Japan, criticized the move, saying, ``Do they intend to fight against tyranny?''