After nearly a decade on the back burner, the issue of granting suffrage to foreigners in local-level elections has gained renewed interest due to recent moves by lawmakers.
New Komeito, the junior partner in the governing coalition and billing itself as a champion of human rights, has proposed a bill that would conditionally allow non-Japanese residents the right to vote at the local level.
It is scheduled to be taken up by the House of Representatives Special Committee on Political Ethics and the Election Law during the current Diet session.