Osaka Eager to Conclude Debate on Metropolis Plan in Dec.

Osaka, June 12 (Jiji Press)–The Osaka prefectural and city governments, at the first meeting of a statutory council on the so-called Osaka metropolis plan on Friday, agreed to conclude its discussions in early December, looking to a third referendum on the local administrative reorganization plan. Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of the western Japan prefecture, aims to hold the referendum next spring. “Osaka can grow more if the prefecture and the city work together and create a powerful local government,” Yoshimura told the meeting, held at the Osaka city government office. He also heads the Japan Innovation Party, a national political party, and affiliated regional political party Osaka Ishin no Kai. The council consists of 20 members–Yoshimura, Hideyuki Yokoyama, who is mayor of the city of Osaka, the capital of the prefecture, and concurrently serves as vice head of the JIP, nine Osaka prefectural assembly members and as many Osaka city assembly members. While Osaka Ishin holds majorities in both the prefectural and city assemblies, assembly members of most other parties opposed the establishment of the statutory council itself. The council will discuss how to replace the city of Osaka with new special wards and their names as well as how the prefectural and city governments will split related costs and administrative work concerned. Once an agreement from the council’s discussions is approved by the prefectural and city assemblies, a local referendum will be held within 60 days of notice to the council. At Friday’s meeting, the statutory council decided that it will also discuss the concept of a secondary capital of Japan that Osaka aims to become, as the JIP is playing a leading role in the efforts to enact legislation to establish the secondary capital that will supplements the capital of the country–Tokyo. The day’s meeting was attended by 13 Osaka Ishin members, including Yoshimura and Yokoyama, while those affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan’s ruling party, and opposition Komeito, who oppose the metropolis plan, were absent. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]