House of Representatives Electoral System: Ruling Parties Must Not Persist in Reducing Number of Seats
Amid issues of how to aggregate increasingly diverse public opinion and reflect it in national politics, reforming the electoral system poses a critical challenge in terms of establishing the foundation of democracy. The ruling and opposition parties must engage in discussions from a broad perspective to seek common ground.
The House of Representatives' electoral system is under scrutiny as ruling parties resist reducing the number of seats. The current system combines single-seat constituencies with proportional representation blocs, a design introduced in 1994 to achieve party-based elections and a two-party system. Issues arise from the system's frequent electoral rezoning due to population shifts and its tendency to concentrate power in a single strong party while leaving many others weak.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) propose alternatives. While the LDP favors maintaining the system, the CRA advocates for a new method that weighs public opinion more heavily and prevents landslide victories by the largest party, potentially benefiting smaller parties. However, increasing the LDP's grip on power is a concern, as they propose reducing the number of proportional representation seats by 45.
This move could disadvantage small and midsize parties and has drawn opposition from all parties in the House of Councillors. The ruling coalition seems intent on passing a bill that would reduce seats, risking political instability if the opposition rejects it. To foster constructive dialogue, the ruling parties must first abandon the bill.
Additionally, reviewing the current system that allows defeated candidates in single-seat constituencies to gain a seat in proportional representation by running in both systems is crucial. Currently, candidates need only a 10% vote in a single-seat race to qualify for a "revival victory," a threshold that could be raised.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
