No.1429 Reduction of Parliamentary Seats in the Lower House for Proportional Representation Channel
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Innovation Party=Ishin now discuss the issue to reduce the parliamentary seats by 10% in the House of Representatives in accordance with their coalition agreement. The Ishin claims to decrease by 50 seats in the proportional channel. If the proposal is implemented, smaller political parties will be inflicted with more serious impacts. Minority opinions will be less reflected.
A NEW ELECTION SYSTEM MUST NOT NEGLECT MINORITY OPINIONS
The idea to cut the number of parliamentary seats in the Lower House has been presented abruptly in the coalition formation process of the said two political parties.
The Ishin had earnestly and primarily sought for, as a policy of ‘political reforms’, prohibition of donations from business entities and organizations, but in the course of a union, it shelved up the direction; the party converted to presentation of a MP reduction issue in the name of a ‘self-defeating reform’, seeing that the ruling LDP was not interested in engaging in the money scandal.
Furthermore, the Ishin set the presentation of a relevant bill to be enacted as an ‘absolute condition’, during the current extraordinary session of the Diet. In other words, the party employed underhanded tactics as it preferred to being a government party by hiding their withdrawal from banning the fraud money, sidestepping the donation issue.
The 36th rank among OECD nations
The Ishin’s top leader Yoshimura Hirofumi (Governor of Osaka) says: ‘the number of MPs is too big. It is indispensable to reduce them boldly.’ That is, however, not correct.
The number of lawmakers in Japan counts 5.6 per a million people, ranking in the 36th of all the OECD countries. Of all the G7 nations the ratio is the second lowest, and, if compared with the UK, the number of parliamentarians per million counts a quarter. Actually, various voices from people cannot reach easily the Diet.
The fixed number of lawmakers in the House of Representatives counts 465. Mr. Yoshimura claims to ‘reduce around 50 of them’. It means over 10%. The seats of 289 of them come from the small constituencies, while the rest of 176 are from the proportional representation channel. The Ishin focuses on the seats of the latter channel. If a 10% reduction is made, the number of candidates for the proportional channel can be diminished to the digit of 120.
Contradictions of small constituency election system
Under this type of the election system, only one candidate can enjoy victory in each constituency. It favors powerful political parties, yielding many ‘dead vote.’ People’s hope contained in these wastes cannot be mirrored in the government’s policy. Therefore, the proportional representation course is set up to rectify the faults of the small constituency election system. It works so that lawmakers can be elected in accordance with the number of votes.
The reduction of lawmakers elected through the proportional channel is a reckless act because it swells defects, cuts off people’s diverse opinions to destroy democracy.
Let’s stage joint struggles!
Concerning the reduction issue, many political parties criticize and raise questions, and even inside the ruling LDP several members show an opposition stance. This crude offer was hastily improvised in the process of formation of the government led by Premier Takaichi through the coalition agreement.
A joint struggle can be waged, disregarding differences of political parties in order to overcome a crisis of democracy in which the minority’s opinions are thrown up. Let’s raise loud voices of opposition inside and outside the parliament and stop presentation of a bill for debates.
自民党と日本維新の会は、連立合意に基づく衆院議員定数１割削減を巡る協議を行っている。維新が主張する比例代表50を削減すれば、中小政党ほど打撃を受け、少数意見は反映されにくくなる。
衆院議員定数の削減は、連立協議の中で突然出てきた。
維新はそれまで「政治改革」の課題として企業・団体献金の禁止を主張していたが、連立協議で自民が応じないとみるや棚上げし、「身を切る改革」と称して持ち出したのが定数削減だ。
しかも、削減法案の臨時国会提出を「絶対条件」とし、成立をめざすとしている。つまり、議員定数削減を強く打ちだすことで企業・団体献金の禁止棚上げを隠す論点のすり替えで、政権入りを優先したのであり、姑息というしかない。
ＯＥＣＤで36番目
維新の吉村洋文代表（大阪府知事）は「国会議員の定数が多すぎる。議員定数の大幅削減を絶対やるべきだ」と主張するが、そうではない。
日本の国会議員定数は１００万人当たり５・６人と、経済協力開発機構（ＯＥＣＤ）加盟国38カ国中36番目。Ｇ７の中でも２番目に少なく、イギリスと比べると４分の１程度で、国民の多様な声が国会に届きにくいのが実態なのである。
衆院定数は４６５で、吉村氏は「50人ぐらい削減したい」と言う。一割超だ。定数の２８９は小選挙区、１７６が比例代表だが、維新は比例をターゲットにしており、１割削減した場合、比例代表は１２０台まで削られることになる。
小選挙区制の歪み
小選挙区では最大得票の候補者１人しか当選できず、大政党に有利で、大量の「死票」が出る。死票に投じられた民意は、国政に反映されることはない。この小選挙区制度の歪みを是正するためにあるのが、票数に応じて議席を配分する比例代表制だ。
比例代表定数の削減は、選挙区制が持つ歪みをさらに拡大させ、多様な民意を切り捨てることにつながり、民主主義の後退をもたらす暴挙と言うしかない。
党派を超え共闘を
議員定数削減は多くの政党から批判、疑問の声が出ており、自民党内にも公然と反対の声があがっている。衆院議員定数の削減は、高市内閣成立のために拙速、かつにわか作りの連立合意がもたらした暴走だ。
少数意見を切り捨てる民主主義の危機を打破するために、党派を超えた共闘は可能だ。議員定数削減反対の声を国会内外に広げ、法案提出を阻止しよう。
英訳版↓
No.1429 Reduction of Parliamentary Seats in the Lower House for Proportional Representation Channel
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Innovation Party=Ishin now discuss the issue to reduce the parliamentary seats by 10% in the House of Representatives in accordance with their coalition agreement. The Ishin claims to decrease by 50 seats in the proportional channel. If the proposal is implemented, smaller political parties will be inflicted with more serious impacts. Minority opinions will be less reflected.
A NEW ELECTION SYSTEM MUST NOT NEGLECT MINORITY OPINIONS
The idea to cut the number of parliamentary seats in the Lower House has been presented abruptly in the coalition formation process of the said two political parties.
The Ishin had earnestly and primarily sought for, as a policy of ‘political reforms’, prohibition of donations from business entities and organizations, but in the course of a union, it shelved up the direction; the party converted to presentation of a MP reduction issue in the name of a ‘self-defeating reform’, seeing that the ruling LDP was not interested in engaging in the money scandal.
Furthermore, the Ishin set the presentation of a relevant bill to be enacted as an ‘absolute condition’, during the current extraordinary session of the Diet. In other words, the party employed underhanded tactics as it preferred to being a government party by hiding their withdrawal from banning the fraud money, sidestepping the donation issue.
The 36th rank among OECD nations
The Ishin’s top leader Yoshimura Hirofumi (Governor of Osaka) says: ‘the number of MPs is too big. It is indispensable to reduce them boldly.’ That is, however, not correct.
The number of lawmakers in Japan counts 5.6 per a million people, ranking in the 36th of all the OECD countries. Of all the G7 nations the ratio is the second lowest, and, if compared with the UK, the number of parliamentarians per million counts a quarter. Actually, various voices from people cannot reach easily the Diet.
The fixed number of lawmakers in the House of Representatives counts 465. Mr. Yoshimura claims to ‘reduce around 50 of them’. It means over 10%. The seats of 289 of them come from the small constituencies, while the rest of 176 are from the proportional representation channel. The Ishin focuses on the seats of the latter channel. If a 10% reduction is made, the number of candidates for the proportional channel can be diminished to the digit of 120.
Contradictions of small constituency election system
Under this type of the election system, only one candidate can enjoy victory in each constituency. It favors powerful political parties, yielding many ‘dead vote.’ People’s hope contained in these wastes cannot be mirrored in the government’s policy. Therefore, the proportional representation course is set up to rectify the faults of the small constituency election system. It works so that lawmakers can be elected in accordance with the number of votes.
The reduction of lawmakers elected through the proportional channel is a reckless act because it swells defects, cuts off people’s diverse opinions to destroy democracy.
Let’s stage joint struggles!
Concerning the reduction issue, many political parties criticize and raise questions, and even inside the ruling LDP several members show an opposition stance. This crude offer was hastily improvised in the process of formation of the government led by Premier Takaichi through the coalition agreement.
A joint struggle can be waged, disregarding differences of political parties in order to overcome a crisis of democracy in which the minority’s opinions are thrown up. Let’s raise loud voices of opposition inside and outside the parliament and stop presentation of a bill for debates.
December 3, 2025