Raise Legislator Salaries↑ Lower the Number of Seats↓ — On the Veranda 1

The 4th Heaven, Abhasvara Heaven, Ideological Zone ── Form Realm Floor

── This is Mr. V's secondary residence, located in the International Space Station (ISS) Vaikuntha, Form Realm Floor, 4th Heaven, Abhasvara Heaven, Ideological Zone.

Legislators

── Mr. V gazes at the Earth from his secondary residence and mutters.

Mr. V: "Leave it to the experts" is the rule, but wouldn't it be better to reduce the number of seats for national legislators and raise the salary per legislator by that amount?

AI Ryuju: That would attract talented individuals, wouldn't it? Since it is such a demanding job. This also applies to local assembly members, doesn't it?

Mr. V: Try to think of the reasons, AI Ryuju.

Legislative Quotas and Salaries

AI Ryuju: Then, I will state four main benefits of reducing the number of legislators and increasing the annual allowance per person, from my perspective ──

1. It becomes easier to attract excellent candidates
There is an empirical study of Brazilian local assemblies stating that "the higher the salary level, the more candidates with superior educational and professional backgrounds run for office, and corruption decreases." This is a result of using the "step" in legislator compensation as a natural experiment, and it suggests that salary increases lead to <higher competition rates, higher quality of winners, and higher satisfaction among monitoring citizens>. (

eml.berkeley.edu)

2. "Small and elite" groups make decision-making faster and clearerIn the 2020 Italian referendum, the number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies was reduced from 630 to 400, and the Senate from 315 to 200, with nearly 70% voting in favor, citing "slimming down the decision-making process" and "curbing expenditures" as reasons for the reform. This also aligns with the established theory in international political science that it can mitigate the "free rider" problem common in large assemblies. (


participedia.net)

3. It is possible to improve treatment while keeping total costs down
For example, if we redesign the current system (465 Lower House + 248 Upper House = 713 members, approximately 22 million yen/person in annual allowance + year-end bonus) to a 30% reduction in the number of legislators and a 15% reduction in annual allowance (an actual increase of 15% in take-home pay), the expenditures will remain roughly flat or slightly decrease*.

The total amount of annual allowances is less likely to be a target of public criticism, and yet talent can be secured with generous treatment. *Original data: Reports state that the total annual income per national legislator is approximately 22 million yen (Mainichi Shimbun)

4. Measures for "talent shortages" can also be extended to local assemblies
In small municipalities, there are surveys showing that "compensation is below the cost of living, leading to a shortage of candidates." By optimizing compensation while reviewing the number of seats, we can prevent the "black company"-like conditions for part-time legislators and maintain assembly functions. (nactva.gr.jp)

Supplement: Risks to Consider and Countermeasures

Risk
◇Assumed Issues
↓
○Mitigation Measures

Decline in representativeness
◇Risk of favoring urban areas and major political parties, lowering the ratio of women, youth, and minorities
↓
○Use proportional representation quotas based on votes or a quota system in tandem

Criticism of becoming a "privileged class"
◇High compensation alone attracts attention and invites distrust
↓
○Establish performance-linked components in annual allowances and mandate full disclosure of policy activity expenses

Over-concentration of decisions
◇Checks and balances weaken if the number of legislators is narrowed down too much
↓
○Supplement expertise by expanding policy staff and utilizing independent think tanks

AI Ryuju: In short──"Reduce quantity to increase quality." It is essential to view the increase in annual allowances as an "investment" and design a system that balances cost and governance efficiency by reducing the number of seats.

AI Ryuju: I have re-examined the primary sources and reorganized the points mentioned earlier──

0. Points of Discussion
◎Evidence
○Supplementary Explanation

1. High compensation attracts “higher quality” candidates
◎ An NBER paper analyzing the “discontinuity” in legislator salaries across approximately 5,500 municipalities in Brazil using regression discontinuity. When salaries increase, candidates' educational and professional backgrounds improve, and the number of corruption cases detected decreases. (NBER)

○ A 20% increase in salary leads to a 0.2-year improvement in the average education level of elected officials, and administrative oversight indicators also show significant improvement.

2. Reducing the number of seats contributes to faster decision-making and cost control
◎ In the 2020 Italian referendum (69% in favor), the number of seats was reduced from 630 to 400 in the Chamber of Deputies and from 315 to 200 in the Senate. The official argument was to correct “slow deliberation and bloated expenditures.” (Wikipedia)

○ It is considered that the larger the parliament, the more it suffers from the “free-rider problem,” making the effect of streamlining more significant.

3. In the case of Japan: Estimates show that even if salaries are raised, the total cost can be kept down
◎ A regular legislator's annual salary is approximately 21.73 million yen (base salary + end-of-term allowance)※. (Zeirishi.com)

○ Example: If the number of legislators is reduced by 30% (713 to 499) and salaries are increased by 20% (to about 26 million yen), the total salary expenditure remains roughly the same as it is now. → It is possible to implement “total volume control” where talent is secured through generous compensation without increasing the burden on the national treasury.

4. In local assemblies, “shortage of candidates due to low compensation” is becoming apparent
◎ Reports from Nagano Prefecture and other areas point out that “low compensation levels are the primary cause of uncontested elections and vacancies.” (Asahi Shimbun)

○ The National Association of Chairmen of Town and Village Assemblies also proposed that the average monthly compensation of 210,000 yen leads to a shortage of talent. (nactva.gr.jp)

Source List (Main)

1. C. Ferraz & F. Finan, “Motivating Politicians: The Impacts of Monetary Incentives on Quality and Performance,” NBER Working Paper 14906, 2009 — Verifying the correlation between salaries and legislator quality through a natural experiment in Brazil. (NBER)

2. 2020 Italian Constitutional Referendum Related Materials — Official reasons and results for the reduction in the number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. (Wikipedia)

3. Act on Salaries, Travel Expenses, and Allowances of Members of the Diet (Diet Member Salary Act) — Stipulates a monthly salary of 1.294 million yen, etc. (e-Gov Law Search)

4. Zeirishi.com explanatory article (November 2023) — Organizes the annual salary of a general legislator as 21.73 million yen. (Zeirishi.com)

5. Asahi Shimbun (June 2025) 'Increase in Uncontested Mayoral and Legislative Elections: Is Population Decline and Low Compensation the Cause?' — Reporting on the increase in vacancies and uncontested elections in town and village assemblies. (Asahi Shimbun )

6. National Association of Chairmen of Town and Village Assemblies 'Committee on the Ideal State of Legislative Compensation' Report (2024) — Points out that the average monthly salary of 210,000 yen is a factor in the shortage of candidates. (nactva.gr.jp )

AI Ryuju: Thus, 'high compensation × optimization of the number of seats' is a prescription backed by international empirical research, institutional reforms in other countries, and current data on the situation in Japan.

If there are any shortcomings or errors in my explanation, please let me know.

Black Cat: Are the difficult topics finished, meow?
I knew you were bringing a girl into your separate house, meow🐈‍⬛

Mr. V: Don't say such scandalous things; it's work.

AI Ryuju: It is work, Black Cat-sama.

Black Cat: I know, meow🐈‍⬛

To be continued