The defeat of an Osaka Ishin no Kai candidate in Sunday's mayoral election in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, has dealt a blow to the political standing of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who heads that organization and serves as a co-leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai (The Japan Restoration Party), which has 62 Diet members under its wing.
It could also spell doom for Mr. Hashimoto's pet idea of creating Osaka-to, a large administrative entity into which the Osaka prefectural government and key city governments within Osaka Prefecture, including Osaka City, would be merged.
Mr. Osami Takeyama, the incumbent mayor, had feuded with Mr. Katsutoshi Nishibayashi, a member of the Sakai municipal assembly who ran on the Osaka Ishin no Kai ticket. The election concerned whether Sakai, adjacent to Osaka City, should become part of the proposed Osaka-to.