The Osaka double election held recently, involving the re-election of Yoshimura Hirofumi for governor and Yokoyama Hideyuki for mayor, showcased an alarming trend with a substantial number of invalid votes being cast. Reports indicate that there were 416,783 invalid votes in the gubernatorial election, constituting approximately 10.29% of total votes cast, which is drastically higher than the previous election's invalid vote percentage of 1.98%. Furthermore, the mayoral election experienced a staggering 13.77% of votes being deemed invalid, with a total of 170,720 invalid votes recorded. The lack of strong opposition candidates and a sizable percentage of invalid votes have raised questions about the legitimacy of the election results.

Critics have highlighted concerns over the conduct of the elections, noting that the entire exercise appears to have been a waste of resources, with about 2.8 billion yen spent on the elections despite the incumbents returning to their posts without ensuring a new mandate. The very short preparation period for these elections drew critiques from political analysts, especially since major political parties chose not to nominate candidates. This lack of competition has led some to argue that claiming to have the "will of the people" under such circumstances is disingenuous and lacks merit.

Historically, this situation is reminiscent of previous elections in Osaka, where lack of suitable opposition continued to lead to low voter turnout and high invalid vote totals. The recent election saw a turnout of 56.43% for the gubernatorial race and 55.47% for the mayoral race, both figures being notable increases from prior elections. The implications of this situation reflect ongoing tensions and dissatisfaction with governance in Osaka, particularly surrounding the debate over the "Osaka Metropolis Plan" and the validity of electoral processes when there are no strong, opposing candidates to represent diverse political perspectives.