Also plans to amend part of Article 9 of Japan’s pacifist constitution
Tokyo : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday said he was keen to see electoral reform legislation enacted during the current parliamentary session and reduce the number of seats in the lower house, reports IANS.
“I’d like to push for cutting the number of seats by 10 in the ongoing diet session to carry out my responsibility (over the electoral reform),” Xinhua quoted Abe as saying with reference to his planed passage of a revised Public Offices Election Law.
Abe eyes reducing the number of seats in parliament’s more powerful lower chamber by 10 to 465, as a means of combating vote disparities in some single-seat constituencies and, as part of the reforms, will see a rezoning of some electoral districts.
Vote disparities have historically plagued elections, including general elections, with some regional and higher courts finding some pertinent elections to have been held unconstitutionally. He said he would continue with his controversial plans to amend part of Article 9 of Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Article 9 prohibits Japan from maintaining an air, ground of sea force with war potential or from using violence as a means of settling an international dispute.
