OSAKA — Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto suffered his first major political setback early Tuesday when a proposal to move the prefectural headquarters to the World Trade Center building in the harbor district was voted down.
After a marathon session that began Monday afternoon, the prefectural assembly voted 65 to 46 against the move, with one vote invalidated. The final tally came just a few minutes before 2 a.m.
The proposal to relocate from the 80-year-old-plus prefectural headquarters adjacent to Osaka Castle Park to the city-run World Trade Center has long been pushed by local Liberal Democratic Party elements as well as the major Kansai business groups.