Assuming he does not once again change his mind and seek re-election, the curtain on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's local political career falls on Nov. 22, when voters elect a new mayor and governor.
The two local races are, first and foremost, a test of whether the Hashimoto-led "Ishin" movement has the capacity to continue both at the local and national levels. The Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) local party holds pluralities in the Osaka Municipal and Prefectural assemblies, while Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), which Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui helped launch, is a major opposition force in the Diet.
But the two races are also expected to test the relationship between the local chapters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito and the two party's respective national headquarters. Differences over how to handle the May Osaka referendum issue on merging administrative entities within the city of Osaka created interparty tensions within the ruling bloc.