Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa’s pet project to give foreign permanent residents the right to vote in local elections is facing fierce opposition within the party.
The party has been discussing the issue through the vehicle of an advisory body. However, the discussion reached a stalemate, with both sides locked in a bitter confrontation. Some party members say it is likely that the party will postpone concluding the issue until after the next general election for the House of Representatives.
The DPJ has said that it would work to realize local suffrage for foreign permanent residents as part of the party’s basic policy formulated at the party’s founding in 1998.
