The town of Toyosato, Shiga Prefecture, will hold a referendum by March 11 on whether to remove the mayor over his aborted effort to demolish a historic school building designed by an American architect, despite a court injunction to not raze the structure, town officials said Friday.
The referendum must be held within 60 days of the official notice of the vote, which was made Friday by the municipal election board.
The board will decide on the precise date of the referendum after receiving an explanation from Mayor Wasaburo Ono, who was pushing the demolition plan.
The art deco school building, built in 1937, was designed by William Merrell Vories, who was also a prominent missionary and entrepreneur.