The ruling and opposition parties have respectively submitted bills designed to allow prefectures and other local governments to set up "special wards" — similar to those that exist in Tokyo — to the Diet. Behind this is a move by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, leader of Osaka Ishin-no Kai (Osaka Association for Reform), a local party. The populist mayor is eager to abolish Osaka Prefecture, which has a population of some 2.7 million people, and to reorganize it into a metropolitan entity like Tokyo consisting of "special wards," each having a population of about 300,000.
Both the ruling and opposition parties fear Mr. Hashimoto's plan to field a large number of candidates from his party in the next national-level election if the Diet fails to enact a law allowing his reorganization plan for Osaka to proceed. Lawmakers should carefully consider whether the bills will help enhance local residents' well-being and whether they will give unjustifiable advantages to the special wards in comparison with the conditions set for municipalities.
Special wards are similar to municipalities. But they cannot independently operate services such as city water, sewerage, fire fighting, bus and subway services, crematories, public hospitals and universities.