The approval of a draft plan to reorganize the city of Osaka into five special districts, by both the municipal assembly and the Osaka Prefectural Assembly, sets the stage for an unprecedented referendum in which the 2.15 million eligible voters of western Japan's largest city will decide the future of their local administration.
The Osaka reorganization has been a pet project of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who entered politics first as governor of Osaka Prefecture in 2008. The outcome of the local referendum — likely to be held May 17 — will determine the political fate of Hashimoto, who has pledged to retire from politics at the end of his current term as mayor in December if the plan is rejected by the voters.
The results of the vote are also expected to have major repercussions for national politics, including the political fortunes of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), which Hashimoto founded, its role within the opposition camp and its relations with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition.