Japan's ruling coalition and DPP agree to cut 31 Lower House seats

The deal scales back an earlier plan, backed by the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) as a condition of joining Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's coalition, to cut about 45 seats, or 10%, Kyodo News and The Japan Times reported. JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita said the result fell short of his party's goal. The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) agreed after the plan added a joint candidate list system and a modified method for allocating proportional seats, The Japan Times reported.

With a majority secured, the three parties plan to pass a related bill before the current parliamentary session ends on Dec. 12, The Japan Times reported.

Why it matters: The agreement ends a standoff over how many seats to cut. Because the ruling coalition lacks a majority in the Upper House, it needed opposition support to pass the measure, The Japan Times reported.