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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

DPJ to introduce bill to cut Lower House seats next year

The Democratic Party will submit to the next ordinary session of the Diet a bill to cut the number of the House of Representatives proportional representation seats to 100 from the present 180.

This plan is included in the DPJ's "Action Plan for Political Reform" published on September 8. The "Action Plan" is a list of promises to be implemented within one year after the DPJ supposedly takes power as the result of the House of Representatives general election.

The proportional representation election can best reflect voters' opinions and if an 80-seats are cut out of this portion, democracy will be further undermined because the single-seat elections which favor two major parties will increase in weight. The DPJ's proposal is clearly intended to shut out the Japanese Communist Party and other smaller parties from the Diet in contravention of parliamentary democracy.

In its manifesto for the general election entitled "Eight promises for renovation of Japan," the DPJ places the 80-seat cut on top of the measures to eliminate wasteful expenditures. It may save 5.8 billion yen, but it will suppress voter choice opinion by throwing away votes for smaller parties.

If waste is to be eliminated, the government subsidy for political parties should be abolished, ending the practice of distributing 31.7-billion yen each year to all parties except for the JCP. If the DPJ is to be true to its manifesto, which calls for self-sacrifice in the effort to do away wasteful expenditures, the first thing it should do is to abolish the subsidy and refuse the tax money which now accounts for 84 percent of the DPJ's income.

The DPJ action plan for political reform also includes a proposal for a 70 percent reduction in the new employment of public service employees in FY 2007 (Apr. 2007- Mar. 2008), with the view of reducing the personnel costs for national public servants by 20 percent. -- Akahata, September 9, 2005