On Nov. 1, for the second time in five years, Osaka city voters will cast their ballots in a referendum on whether to merge the city’s 24 wards.
Approval of the merger would provide the plan’s biggest political supporter, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), with a huge victory. Defeat would likely mean the resignation of its leader, Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui, who is close to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and a possible backlash against the party for having failed to achieve its signature goal.
What is the merger plan that is being put to a referendum?