The House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill revising the Land Expropriation Law to introduce transparency and public consultation to the governments' compulsory seizure of private land for public use.
The bill sets procedures for the central and local governments to follow in land seizures that will guarantee transparency of public projects at the planning stages.
The bill also simplifies the expropriation procedures in cases where land is jointly owned.
In addition, prefectural land expropriation committees can request a limit on the number of representatives of owners to three to ease committee deliberations.
The bill is expected to clear the House of Councilors and become law during the current Diet session, which ends June 29.
According to the bill, project organizers will be required to hold public hearings for people affected by expropriations and to listen to opinions from third parties in order to secure impartiality.