Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposal to change the electoral system for proportional representation seats in the House of Councilors before the next election.
"It has been pointed out that (the current system) fails to capture voters' interests," he said during questioning in an Upper House plenary session. "The ruling bloc is holding discussions to introduce a system that would raise that interest."
The tripartite coalition is working on a bill that would revise the current system, which allows voters to cast ballots by party name. Under the new system, voters would choose between voting for candidates according to roster, or for the parties themselves.