Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has called on a municipal-prefectural committee examining his plan to integrate the city of Osaka to approve it at its next meeting on Jan. 13.

If that happens, the full city assembly would debate the plan in February. Hashimoto is pushing the assembly to approve it, which would pave the way for a local referendum on May 17 after the nationwide local elections in April.

At a specially convened committee meeting on Dec. 30, the schedule envisioned by Hashimoto was supported by Komeito but opposed by all other parties.