The central government plans to help citizens hold plebiscites on municipal mergers by scrapping local governments' veto powers on them, according to government sources.
The Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry wants residents to be able to call a merger poll with 10 percent of eligible voters' signatures, the sources said Friday.
According to the ministry's scheme, if more than 50 percent of voters vote for a merger in a plebiscite, a panel can be formed to proceed. But the final decision on merging will still depend on mayors and local assemblies.
The ministry is expected to submit a relevant bill to the current Diet session.
But it will first have to settle differences with groups like the National Association of Towns and Villages, which is cautious about changing the current system that lets municipalities block polls.
The association has opposed local mergers, saying they deny "representative democracy."
Resistance by local assemblies often scuttles plebiscite plans, but the state is keen to cut the number of local governments.