The ruling Democratic Party of Japan is considering excluding foreigners who are party members or supporters from voting in its presidential elections, DPJ sources said Saturday.
As the vote to select a party leader is effectively an election to choose the prime minister whenever the DPJ is in power, critics have argued that allowing members and supporters who lack Japanese citizenship to vote may be unconstitutional, the sources said.
But if the DPJ decides to revise its party bylaws at its convention in January, the move also will likely be slammed as the party has supported the participation of foreign residents in politics.
Foreign nationals residing in Japan are eligible to join the DPJ as members or supporters, and can vote in the party's presidential elections.
In September last year, foreign residents voted in a DPJ leadership race for the first time since the party seized power in 2009. Naoto Kan was elected president and, as the DPJ was in power, became prime minister, sparking criticism that Article 15 of the Constitution had been violated.
Article 15 says, "The people have the inalienable right to choose their public officials and to dismiss them."