The Japanese government has reportedly decided to delay introducing a bill granting provincial voting rights to foreign nationals who are permanent residents in Japan, including ethnic Koreans.

Japanese daily, the Mainichi Shimbun, quoted Minister of Internal Affairs Kazuhiro Haraguchi as telling reporters Saturday that efforts to introduce the bill are facing serious difficulties as views differ widely even among the ruling coalition parties. In particular, the liberal Japan New Party, which is one of the ruling coalition parties, has voiced strong opposition to the bill.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan requested late last year that the government present a bill on the issue after the party’s secretary general, Ichiro Ozawa, said earlier in January that the bill must be submitted in the upcoming Diet session in consideration of Seoul-Tokyo relations.

The Korean Residents Union in Japan first launched a campaign urging Tokyo to grant provincial voting rights to foreign nations in Japan in the 1990s. The general public in Japan is said to be favorable toward the idea.