Single-chamber Diet among LDP manifesto pledges

source: The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Liberal Democratic Party's campaign platform for the next House of Representatives election likely will include a pledge to make the Diet a single chamber and to cut the number of lawmakers by 30 percent in 10 years, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Monday.

According to a draft of the campaign manifesto, the LDP will pledge to cut the number of lawmakers by 10 percent within four years as a midterm target for achieving the 10-year goal.
Regarding the issue of restricting so-called hereditary candidates, which has been in the spotlight, the party's election pledges likely will include a restriction that prevents relatives with up to a third degree relationship with a Diet member who held a constituency from being able to run for the same constituency. This would come into effect in the lower house election that eventually follows the one to be held by autumn.

As the centerpiece of measures to stimulate the regions, the party will pledge to review the system in which local governments shoulder part of the burden of projects conducted in regional areas, but administered by the central government. Local governments strongly wish this requirement that they share the cost of projects beyond their control to be scrapped.

Regarding social security, the party likely will pledge to raise the level of reimbursement to medical institutions as a measure to improve provincial medical services and emergency services. The party will also pledge to make public preschool education free in about three years.

LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda, the head of the party committee tasked with drawing up the campaign manifesto, and Yoshihide Suga, deputy chairman of the party's Election Strategy Council and the head of the project team under the committee, on Monday submitted the draft to Prime Minister Taro Aso, who also is LDP president, at the party headquarters. Aso gave the draft his initial approval, party sources said.