Voters in Osaka on Sunday night said "no" for a second time to a referendum that would have merged the city’s 24 wards, dealing a heavy blow to the Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) local political group and effectively ending the career of Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui.
A total of 692,996 voters opposed the metropolis plan, which was supported by 675,829 voters, according to the local election board. Voter turnout stood at 62.35%, 4.48 percentage points lower than in the previous poll in 2015.
The defeat leaves Matsui and Osaka Ishin no Kai, which is affiliated with the national Nippon Ishin no Kai, with their main political goal unaccomplished and the party’s political future uncertain.