National / Politics Oct 19, 2020
Party officials take to streets to campaign ahead of Osaka referendum
The plan calls for reorganizing Osaka into four special wards with a high level of autonomy in order to eliminate overlapping administration.
National / Politics | View from Osaka Sep 19, 2020
Let the Suga-Nippon Ishin bromance begin
by Eric Johnston
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui and his supporters are breathing easy, knowing their favorite LDP politician is now the prime minister.
National / Politics Sep 5, 2020
Nippon Ishin no Kai sees an ally in Suga in LDP leadership race
by Eric Johnston
Close ties are likely to bode well for Osaka’s efforts to ensure central government financing in next year’s fiscal budget for the 2025 Expo.
National / Politics Sep 3, 2020
Osaka referendum on metropolis plan set with assembly approval
The plan is aimed at achieving more effective governance through cost-cutting.
National / Politics Aug 28, 2020
Osaka Prefectural Assembly readies Nov. 1 referendum on merger plan
If the municipal assembly endorses the plan Thursday, a vote on the flagship policy of regional political group Osaka Ishin no Kai will go ahead.
National / Politics | FOCUS Jun 20, 2020
Osaka's second merger push faces pitfalls from pandemic, Abe's poll woes
by Eric Johnston
Osaka voters will once again face a referendum on merging the city’s 24 wards following a decision on a plan that would create four large, semiautonomous wards.
National / Politics Jun 19, 2020
Osaka panel OKs second and 'final' plan for citywide reorganization
"The approval of the final plan is just a passing point. It's the public who makes the decision," Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters.
National Jun 10, 2020
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said Wednesday he will aim to hold a referendum on Nov. 1 on whether to restructure the city into a metropolis like Tokyo to achieve more effective governance. Matsui said that the referendum for the Osaka metropolis plan will be held ...
National Apr 24, 2020
Osaka mayor sets Twitter abuzz with claim that women dawdle at shops
The mayor of Osaka has come under fire for suggesting men should be the ones doing the grocery shopping during the pandemic because women are indecisive and "take a long time." Under the national state of emergency for the coronavirus, residents in some areas have ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Apr 18, 2020
Tigers pitch in with 4,500 ponchos for health care workers in Osaka
The Hanshin Tigers have donated 4,500 rain ponchos to the city of Osaka for use as emergency protective gear in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic the club revealed on Friday. Facing a shortage of protective clothing for health care workers battling the highly infectious ...
National Apr 15, 2020
Osaka asks for raincoats as medical workers short of anti-virus gear
The Osaka Municipal Government requested Tuesday that citizens offer unused raincoats as an alternative to protective gear that is in short supply at medical institutions amid a surge in coronavirus infections. In issuing the request, Mayor Ichiro Matsui said medical professionals at some institutions in ...