Osaka panel greenlights metropolis plan, setting stage for second referendum
A joint panel set up by Osaka's prefectural and municipal governments has approved a so-called Osaka metropolis plan to reorganize the city into four special wards governed directly by the prefecture in 2025. Following Thursday's approval, the city of Osaka is planning to hold a ...
Mayor Ichiro Matsui mulls referendum on 'Osaka metropolis' plan
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said Monday he is considering holding a referendum next November on whether to restructure the city into a metropolis like Tokyo, in order to seek more effective governance. A specific date will be determined after consultation with the local chapter of ...
Major issues loom as Kansai looks ahead to the new year
It was a busy 2019 for Kansai, particularly in the days leading up to the June Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka. While the Tokyo Olympics will be the focus of much of the nation's attention in 2020, here are some major issues ...
Osaka mayor Ichiro Matsui offers to take in tainted Fukushima water and dump it into Osaka Bay
Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka and head of Nippon Ishin no Kai, said Tuesday that water tainted by radioactive tritium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could — if proven environmentally safe — be sent to Osaka and dumped into Osaka ...
Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito flip-flop on Osaka merger
Just over a month after local elections in which Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) surprised even itself with resounding victories, the established parties' local chapters appear to be on the ropes. Earlier this month, Komeito, which had long partnered with Osaka Ishin to form ...
Osaka's mayor intends to call referendum on metropolis plan in fall of 2020
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said Saturday he wants to hold a referendum around the fall of 2020 on whether to restructure the city into a metropolis like Tokyo in a bid to cut governance costs. The "Osaka metropolis" plan was rejected in a referendum in ...
Osaka Ishin now firmly in control across prefecture, piling pressure on Komeito to back merger
Osaka Ishin has long championed the reform plan while Komeito, along with the LDP, have opposed it.
Osaka leaders win in elections to swap roles, but merger prospects unclear
Osaka voters appear to have done little to shift the political landscape from where it was before polls opened Sunday.
Osaka wrestles with merger plan as campaign for governor kicks off
To merge or not to merge? That is the question Osaka hopes to finally answer as the campaign for Osaka governor kicked off Thursday morning.
In Osaka, leaders' bid to swap seats could spell trouble as region faces global spotlight
When Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and his sidekick, Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura, announced they would resign their positions to run for each other's seats next month, local reactions ranged from disbelief to exasperation. Osaka politics has always been, to put it politely, different from more ...
LDP picks former assemblyman Yanagimoto to take on Osaka Ishin's Ichiro Matsui in mayoral race
Former Osaka municipal assemblyman Akira Yanagimoto of the Liberal Democratic Party has been tapped to run against Ichiro Matsui, the governor of Osaka Prefecture and head of Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), in next month's Osaka mayoral race, with the focus on whether ...
