Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama resigned mid-term to ask for public opinion on their renewed challenge to the Osaka Metropolis Plan through a re-election double election, which took place on February 8.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama have initiated a re-election double election to once again seek public support for the Osaka Metropolis Plan, a significant political agenda for the Japan Innovation Party, which aims to restructure Osaka City into special districts similar to Tokyo. This re-election follows their resignation partway through their terms, a tactical move to gauge public sentiment regarding a coalition agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party and further development of Osaka following the World Expo. Despite previous efforts to implement the plan failing in close referendums in 2015 and 2020, Yoshimura has now pivoted to reintroducing the Metropolis Plan with a new institutional design in 2024.
However, the political landscape surrounding this double election is fraught with internal disagreements and public skepticism. Criticism from within the Japan Innovation Party has emerged, questioning the timing of the re-election, with calls from the Osaka City Council to delay the challenge and integrate the Metropolis Plan into their platform for the unified local elections next April. The proposal is contentious, with party factions expressing a lack of strong rationale for the re-election, and local public sentiment appearing triggered by concerns over financial burdens, as about 2.33 billion yen in tax money is expected to be spent on the governor's race and an additional 470 million yen on the mayor's race, totaling approximately 2.8 billion yen. These financial considerations make public and political support crucial as they navigate the complexities of governance and public policy.
