OSAKA –

Toru Hashimoto finished his term Monday as Osaka governor, resigning three months early to run for mayor of the city of Osaka on Nov. 27.

"Tomorrow, I move to a different stage. The future structure of Osaka is at stake and only political power can change it," Hashimoto said at his last news conference.

While Hashimoto still remains popular, his image and reputation have taken a beating in recent days due to public anger over his quitting before finishing his term and concerns over a spate of negative media reports.

For the first time in four decades, Hashimoto's resignation set the stage for an Osaka mayoral and gubernatorial election on the same day. Hashimoto said he was ending his term, which was not due to expire until January, early so Osaka voters would be able to clearly decide whether they want leaders who will agree to merge the city and prefecture into one entity or keep them fundamentally separate.

Hashimoto and his political group Osaka Ishin-no Kai (One Osaka) favor a merger, while current Osaka Mayor Kunio Hiramatsu, who is running for re-election, and established parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic Party of Japan, favor the status quo.

Over the past several days, the political situation for the gubernatorial election in particular has become fluid. Late last week, LDP Upper House member Kazuya Maruyama announced his intention to run — about a week after denying he would seek the office.

Like Hashimoto, Maruyama was a popular media figure before getting into politics, but he is understood to be opposed to Hashimoto's plans.

But Maruyama changed his mind again Monday, as the LDP's prefectural chapter had already decided to endorse Ikeda Mayor Kaoru Kurata. Maruyama said he didn't feel there was enough time to run a proper campaign.

Hashimoto and One Osaka are supporting Ichiro Matsui, a top leader of the group, for governor.

Hashimoto ends a three-year, nine-month term that in its opening days successfully cut costs and trimmed the bureaucracy. But it was marked by controversy over the past couple of years, as Hashimoto pushed plans to close Itami airport, suggested U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa could be relocated to Kansai International Airport, and fought hard against teacher unions to institute what he said was a more results-oriented educational system.

Despite the controversies, the fact that One Osaka has control of the prefectural assembly and is the largest group in the city assembly means Hashimoto enters the mayoral race as the frontrunner.

His efforts have also garnered notice in Tokyo, with Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) leader Shizuka Kamei, Your Party head Yoshimi Watanabe and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara recently expressing words of support.

But Hashimoto's reputation among Osaka voters has taken a beating of late. His decision to resign and call a double election has created a political and public backlash, one that has emboldened his local enemies.

Possibly more damaging to his chances is a series of hard-hitting media exposes last week of his past and his political style, which critics brand "Hashi-ism", a play on the word fascism.

The articles, which appeared in the monthly magazine Shincho 45 and in two weekly magazines, allege that Hashimoto's father had connections with the yakuza, and that he committed suicide because he couldn't pay his debts to the mob.

The magazines further noted, in a sensationalist tone, that Hashimoto was raised in a traditional "dowa" area, which refers to the locales where the "buraku" social outcasts and economically disadvantaged lived. Other sources interviewed said that as a young lawyer, his primary interest in the legal profession was simply as a way make as much money as possible.

The tabloid media reports surprised and angered Hashimoto, who said at Monday's news conference he owed a large part of his popularity among voters to his relations with the mainstream media. While admitting the tabloid reports were mostly true, he also said he had no contact whatsoever with the yakuza and his father and mother divorced when he was very young and so he has no memory of his real father.

On Twitter, however, Hashimoto lashed out at the magazines, claiming they invaded not only his privacy but the privacy of his children.

"I'm a public figure, so in certain ways, whatever is said about me can't be helped. But a child's rights should be taken into consideration. Did these magazines consider this?" Hashimoto asked.