October 31, 2026

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, at a press conference in the Diet building on October 30, published a statement to the general public, calling for broad public support to block the reduction in the number of Diet seats as this reduction will disregard the will of the majority of voters.

On the previous day, the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) agreed to the ruling coalition’s proposal to reduce the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives by 31. The Liberal Democratic and “Nippon Ishin no Kai” parties and the DPP announced that they will submit the bill to the current extraordinary session of the Diet and work to have it enacted.

In response, the JCP statement emphasizes that Dietmembers represent the sovereign people, and that reducing their number will make it increasingly difficult for the people’s voices to reach the Diet and will also weaken the Diet’s function of overseeing the administration.

The statement notes that the single-seat constituency system distorts the will of the people, which is the biggest problem with the current electoral system, and that the proportional representation system more accurately reflects the will of the people.

The statement criticizes the three parties for seeking to strengthen the single-member district system further by shrinking proportional representation.

It argues that it is unacceptable for the three parties to use their majority to force the bill through without engaging in a national debate or giving the slightest consideration to opposition parties’ objections.

The statement asserts that a parliamentary democracy based on popular sovereignty requires representatives of the people to determine the nation’s course through thorough Diet discussions, and calls for an increased nationwide movement in order to defend parliamentary democracy.

Past related article:
> LDP as compromise proposes to opposition parties a reduction of 31 Lower House seats [October 23, 2026]