Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto's most fundamental political goal, the integration of Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka, appears ever more in doubt as his opponents join forces in a key local election and his own party ranks express skepticism and confusion over what a merger would really mean.

The Sept. 29 mayoral election in the city of Sakai is a must-win battle for the beleaguered Hashimoto because a loss could split the party. Mayor Osami Takeyama, 63, is seeking re-election against Nippon Ishin-backed Katsutoshi Nishibayashi, 43.

Nippon Ishin's plan to merge the city and prefecture into a series of quasi-autonomous zones is opposed by Takeyama, who, in addition to the local chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party, just received the support of the Japanese Communist Party, which, like the local LDP, opposes Hashimoto's plans.