JCP tops political parties in number of local law makers

The number of Japanese Communist Party representatives in local assemblies was 4,433 as of the end of 2000, the largest of all political parties.

The government published a report on the numbers of seats of political parties in prefectural, city, town, and village assemblies.

The number, unchanged from the previous year, includes 183 (two seats less than 1999) in prefectural assemblies, 4,250 (an increase of two seats of the legislatures in municipalities). The number of JCP women local assembly members increased by 12 to 1,278, the largest and nearly double the second largest number of the Komei Party's.

The Liberal Democratic Party had 3,507, down 31; the Democratic Party of Japan, 854, an increase of 31; Komei Party, 3,244, up 49; the Social Democratic Party, 842, down 31; and the Liberal Party, 39, a decrease of one seat. The number of independents decreased by 564 to 48,594. (end)