Members of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's local party, Osaka Ishin no Kai, and New Komeito, which form the ruling coalition in the municipal assembly, voted against an ordinance proposal Monday that would have clarified the city's financial responsibilities in the event of health problems created by incinerating tainted debris from Tohoku.
The ordinance had been sought by local residents and assembly members opposed to the burning of 6,000 tons of quake debris from Iwate Prefecture, which is scheduled to be incinerated by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends in March.
The city and Osaka Prefecture, which agreed to accept the debris, say radiation levels in the debris are minuscule, and well below the minimum safety standards. On Feb. 1, incineration of the debris began on Maishima, an artificial island in the harbor district.