A referendum on whether to reorganize Osaka into a metropolis with an administrative structure akin to Tokyo will be held Nov. 1, the city's election board said Monday.
It will be the second time the city has held such a referendum following the first in May 2015, when it was voted down by a slim margin. Some 2.24 million residents aged 18 or older who have Japanese nationality are eligible to participate in the upcoming vote.
The initiative to abolish the city for supposedly more cost-effective governance was put forward by the regional political group Osaka Ishin no Kai, led by Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui.