LDP and DPJ will call for cutting Lower House seats

Japan Press Weekly

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

LDP and DPJ will call for cutting Lower House seats

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party are calling for a deeper cut in the number of Diet seats.

They are trying to show the public that they are seeking to cut wasteful expenditures, making it easy to persuade the public to agree with a consumption tax increase.

But both parties mention nothing about the need to end the annual expenditure of 32 billion yen in government subsidies to political parties.

They are preparing to present the electorate with a drastic cut in the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives in their party "manifestos" for the upcoming House of Representatives general election.

The LDP's Suga Yoshihide, deputy director of the LDP Electoral Policy Committee, calls for a 50-seat cut from the present 480 seats in the House of Representatives (300 for small constituencies and 180 for proportional representation seats). The DPJ President Hatoyama Yukio says, "A cut of 50 is too small, 80 seats must be cut."

Ibuki Bunmei, former LDP secretary general said that the downsizing of the House of Representatives is necessary before asking the public to accept a consumption tax increase."

DPJ leader Hatoyama said, "Unless the number of Diet seats is cut, the public will not support the discussion on a consumption tax increase."

However, downsizing the House of Representatives will only mean making it difficult for the Diet to heed public, thereby weakening parliamentary democracy in Japan.

It must be noted that the number of Dietmembers per 100,000 population in Japan is 0.57, the second from the bottom among the 12 developed countries, next to the United States.

In reality, such a call is designed to reduce the number of Japanese Communist Party representatives, the staunch opponent of the consumption tax increase.

With a higher rate, the notorious regressive tax system will rob the public of their purchasing power, exacerbate the present economic crisis, and widen the social gap and increase poverty.

Cutting Diet seats by 80 will only be a 5.8 billion yen budget cut a year. Since 1995 when this government subsidies system started, the LDP has received a total of 227.7 billion yen and the DPJ 119 billion yen. It is a lie that a Diet seat cut will help to lessen the public burden.

- Akahata, May 28, 2009