For most prefectures, cities and towns, April's quadrennial unified elections will be the last opportunity for the next few years to vote on local matters.
But in the city of Osaka, the April 12 assembly poll is but a barometer — albeit a crucial one — for the May 17 referendum that will decide whether the city will be fundamentally restructured.
After choosing a new municipal assembly next month, Osaka's 2.1 million voters will then be asked to vote yes or no on the question of whether the city's current 24 wards should be integrated into five large semi-autonomous areas, each with its own elected head and assembly. This would also mean abolishing the Osaka mayor and municipal assembly by 2017.