TOKYO - Japan's declining population is set to trigger another review of single-seat electoral districts for the House of Representatives, with new census data highlighting widening disparities in voter representation and adding momentum to discussions over reducing the number of lawmakers.
According to estimates released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications based on preliminary national census results, the electoral district with the largest population per representative is Fukuoka's 2nd District, while the smallest is Ishikawa's 3rd District. The gap in vote value between the two reached 2.274 times.
The number of electoral districts where the disparity exceeded two-to-one totaled 39 nationwide.
Japanese law stipulates that disparities in vote value should not exceed a factor of two. In response, the House of Representatives Electoral District Council is expected to begin full-scale work on revising district boundaries after final census figures are released by September.
If the same standards used during the previous redistricting process are applied, 21 electoral districts—including Fukuoka's 2nd District and Ishikawa's 3rd District, where the disparities were greatest—would become candidates for boundary adjustments.
The council is expected to formulate a redistricting proposal within the next year before submitting recommendations to the government.
The latest census results could also influence ongoing discussions between ruling and opposition parties over broader electoral reform.
On May 29th, working-level representatives from the ruling coalition met to discuss reducing the number of seats in the House of Representatives. The participants reaffirmed their intention to submit legislation during the current Diet session aimed at cutting the total number of seats by approximately 10 percent and securing its passage.
One proposal under discussion, advocated by the Japan Innovation Party, calls for reducing only proportional representation seats by 45. Using census data and the Adams apportionment method, JNN estimated how those reductions would be distributed across regional proportional representation blocs.
Under the proposal, Hokkaido would lose two seats, Tohoku three, North Kanto five, South Kanto six, Tokyo four, Hokuriku-Shinetsu three, Tokai six, Kinki seven, Chugoku two, Shikoku two, and Kyushu five.
The Kinki bloc would see the largest reduction, losing seven seats, followed by South Kanto and Tokai with six seats each.
As population shifts continue to reshape Japan's electoral landscape, debate over both redistricting and the overall size of the House of Representatives is expected to intensify in the coming months.
Source: TBS
