The House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration resolved to establish a "third-party institution" to investigate specific proposals for House of Representatives electoral system reform, including a reduction in seats. The resolution was passed by a majority vote of the LDP, the New Komeito, the DPJ, and other parties.

The third-party institution will be called the "House of Representatives "Electoral System Reform Research Committee," and will serve as an advisory body to Bunmei Ibuki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The committee will have 15 expert members and will be chaired by a non-Diet member appointed from academia.

The research committee's primary tasks will be to investigate a reduction in the number of seats, measures to reduce the "vote gap," and other problems in the electoral system. Speaker Ibuki has full discretion over membership.

The Research Committee will report to the Speaker after all viewpoints have been collected. Diet factions will respect its conclusions.

Parties have been unable to come to an agreement on the House of Representatives electoral system reform, with the scale of reductions in the number of seats and the establishment of new structures emerging as particularly difficult issues.