October 22, 2025

Liberal Democratic Party President Takaichi Sanae was elected the 104th prime minister at the extraordinary Diet session convened on October 21. She launched a coalition government with the Osaka-based “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party. The Ishin party has explained that it will not join the Takaichi Cabinet but will “provide support from outside the Cabinet”.

The Japanese Communist Party immediately held a general assembly of all JCP Dietmembers, and JCP Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko at the assembly stated that the LDP-Ishin coalition would likely become the worst regime in Japan’s postwar history.

Tamura criticized the new government for intending to submit to this Diet session a bill to reduce the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives by 10%.

Tamura said that proportional representation constituencies allow the electoral system to most accurately reflect voter preferences. She warned that reducing these seats will make it even harder for the people’s voices to reach the Diet.

She also warned that further cutting down on the number of Dietmembers, already low by international standards, will weaken parliamentary oversight. “We call for broad cooperation both inside and outside the Diet on the single point of opposing parliamentary downsizing,” she declared.

Tamura, at a press conference held in the Diet building on the same day, expressed “deep regret” regarding the statement made by Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Noda Yoshihiko that the CDPJ “supports” the slashing of the number of Diet seats.

In the Osaka Prefectural Assembly, the Ishin party reduced the number of assembly seats, converting 36 out of 53 electoral districts into single-seat constituencies. As a result, the Ishin party now holds an overwhelming majority of seats in the Osaka Prefectural Assembly, effectively silencing the opposition to the adverse policies set forth by the Ishin-led Osaka government.

The JCP EC Chair said, “The Ishin party is seeking to bring the same subterfuge to national politics,” and demanded that the CDPJ as the largest opposition party take a firm stance against this attempt in order to protect parliamentary democracy.

Past related articles:
> Koike: JCP will make all-out efforts to block LDP-Ishin coalition’s attempt to cut number of Diet seats [October 21, 2025]
> Double-tongued ‘Nippon Ishin no Kai’ party [October 19, 2025]