Osaka officials decided on Thursday to hold a referendum regarding the Osaka Metropolis Plan which would abolish the city of Osaka and reorganize it into four special wards.
The city council approved the proposal, which had won a majority from the Osaka Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) and the Komeito Party. It was passed by the Osaka prefectural assembly on 28 August, confirming there would be a second referendum after the plan was initially rejected by voters in 2015 by a difference of 10,000 votes.
While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may still interrupt the schedule, the announcement of the referendum date is scheduled for 12 October and will most likely be held on the same date as Osaka’s lower house elections on 1 November.
Mayor Ichiro Matsui said, “I want to carefully and properly explain, and create a good situation for a lot of people.”
The mayor also indicated that he intends to bring the referendum forward and hold it on the same day if the lower house election takes place in October.
If passed, the proposal would separate Osaka city’s 2.7 million residents into four wards – Yodogawa, Kita, Chuo and Tennoji – of between 600,000 and 780,000 each. The wards would specialize in resident services such as education and welfare, and unify regional projects such as infrastructure and tourism strategy in Osaka city and prefecture.
The project has been modeled on the Greater London area of the United Kingdom, and if approved by the referendum, the special zones will be established on 1 January 2025.
The Osaka Metropolis plan has been a priority strategy since the party formed, but opponents have questioned if holding a referendum in the current situation is wise, and if the efforts and money would be better spent on COVID-19 measures.
Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, who has stated that gargling is effective against COVID-19, has been criticized online, and if the virus continues to spread it may have an impact on the referendum.
The plan is to open an IR on Yumeshima after the 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo. Originally planned to open before the event, the IR timeline has already been delayed but the result of the referendum may further impact the progress of Osaka’s IR ambitions.
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