A bill being considered in the town of Maihara, Shiga Prefecture, for a plebiscite on mergers with other municipalities would give permanent foreign residents the right to vote, according to town sources.
If the bill clears the assembly and becomes an ordinance, Maihara will become the first town to allow foreigners with permanent residency status to vote in a plebiscite, the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said Tuesday.
Minorities in Japan -- mostly the decedents of ethnic Koreans and Taiwanese who had their citizenship revoked after World War II -- do not have the right to vote in either national or local elections.
Town officials said the bill, which is being prepared for submission to the assembly Jan. 18, will state that permanent foreign residents of Japan must be at least 20 years old and have lived in the town for more than three months to vote in the plebiscite.