Feb 17, 2018 (Japan Today) - The ruling Liberal Democratic Party made progress Friday in its discussions to seek the first-ever amendments to Japan's postwar Constitution, agreeing on the wording of a draft for rewriting an existing article on electoral systems.
The LDP is debating in turns four topics it has put on the table for possible constitutional amendments, including the war-renouncing Article 9. The latest plenary gathering focused on revising Article 47 to end some controversial electoral district boundaries introduced on the back of Japan's rural-urban population imbalance.
It is the first time that the LDP members have agreed on a specific draft amendment proposal for any article after deciding in June last year that its constitutional reform discussions would center on the four topics. The two other agendas are education and response to national emergency situations.
The LDP plans to come up with a set of amendment proposals by its annual convention on March 25, setting the stage for further discussions with other parties.
Amending the supreme law requires approval by two-thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, followed by majority support in a national referendum.
On Article 47, the LDP members approved a proposal that says "at least one person should be elected" in each prefectural district at every upper house election.
The change is aimed at ending a measure to group sparsely populated prefectures in single-seat electoral districts to address vote weight disparities stemming from population differences. The measure was introduced from an upper house election in 2016.
