Toru Hashimoto's push to fundamentally reform Japan picked up steam Saturday with the opening of Ishin Seiji Juku (Restoration Political Institute), as criticism grows in Tokyo that the outspoken Osaka mayor is leading not only a national revolt against established parties but also a mass movement reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
More than 2,000 students attended the opening of the new institute, which is sponsored by Hashimoto and aims to train future political leaders. Over the coming months, students will receive lectures from guest speakers on tax and bureaucracy reforms, economics, and diplomacy and international relations.
Emphasis will be on how to empower local governments, eventually abolish the current prefectural system, and create a small number of super states that are quasi-independent from Tokyo.