New Komeito chief Takenori Kanzaki warned Tuesday that further Diet deliberations on a bill aimed at cutting 50 proportional representation seats from the Lower House would "seriously affect" his party's upcoming talks on entering the Liberal Democratic Party's ruling coalition.
The No. 2 opposition party strongly opposes the bill as half of its members in the house were elected through proportional representation, rather than single-seat constituencies. However, the bill serves as a key policy agreement between the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Liberal Party, and deliberations have just begun after a month's delay by New Komeito.
At a news conference, Kanzaki said his party may not join the coalition if its policy talks with the LDP are less than satisfactory.
"I am opposed to the Diet deliberating the bill now when many other bills have been submitted earlier (and have yet to be taken up)," Kanzaki said. "I believe this issue will heavily affect policy talks with the ruling parties."
Although New Komeito's resistance has kept the bill on the back burner since its submission to the Diet, a Lower House special committee began deliberations last Tuesday with support from the LDP, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force.
Last week, New Komeito officially told Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, president of the LDP, that his party's willingness to join the coalition government rests on an acceptable policy agreement.
But the Liberal Party is threatening to pull out of the coalition if the LDP tries to bring in New Komeito without carrying out its agreements, which include passage of the seat-reduction bill.
The bill threatens to put smaller parties at a huge disadvantage because they have a greater chance of securing seats through proportional representation than through single-seat constituencies.