Osaka voters went to the polls Sunday in a historic referendum that will decide the future structure of the city government.
At issue is whether residents of the city support or oppose a proposal to abolish the current municipal structure, including the assembly and mayor's position, and merge Osaka's 24 wards into five large semi-autonomous districts. If approved, the merger would take place by 2017.
If rejected, the merger effort will be finished, and, most likely, it would force Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, who have staked their political reputations on the proposal, to resign.