Japan Press Weekly

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2026 October 7 - 13 [POLITICS]

Rally held to oppose proposed bill cutting the number of Lower House seats

An emergency rally organized by researchers, lawyers, and civic groups took place on October 6 in the Diet building to oppose a proposed bill that would reduce the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives.

The Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party, are seeking to pass the bill during the current extraordinary session of the Diet.

Several opposition Dietmembers took part in this event.

Protesters claimed that reducing the number of Diet seats would silence the voice of the general public, resulting in a concentration of power in the hands of the ruling parties. They reaffirmed their commitment to broadening the circle of solidarity based on this single issue.

Professor at Sophia University Miura Mari stated, “Slashing the number of proportional representation seats will undermine our democracy and our daily lives, leading to a society that is difficult to live in comfortably.”

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko pointed out that multiple opposition parties are united in their efforts to block Diet deliberations on the bill.

Tamura noted that the will of the people, particularly that of women, youth, minorities, and those who find it difficult to participate in politics will be discarded. She added that the electoral system is the foundation of Japanese democracy and popular sovereignty. The JCP chair stated, “Putting aside political differences, our party will work hard to prevent the system from deteriorating in solidarity with all concerned citizens.”

Lawmakers from the “Komeito” party, the Democratic Party for the People, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Reform Party (formed following the dissolution of the Centrist Reform Alliance), the Social Democratic Party, the “Inochi no To” party (formerly “Reiwa Shinsengumi”), and the Okinawa Whirlwind also participated in the rally.

Past related articles:
> LDP-‘Ishin’ coalition forcibly begins Diet deliberations on bill to reduce number of Lower House seats [June 30, 2026]
> Opposition bloc calls for bill to cut number of Lower House seats not to be tabled [June 26, 2026]
> LDP will submit bill to cut number of Lower House seats by 10% [June 12, 2026]