On the 12th, a second referendum was announced, asking the pros and cons of the “Osaka Metropolitan Concept”, which abolishes the city of Osaka and establishes four special zones. In the last referendum, he was rejected by a small margin, and Toru Hashishita, the founder of the Meiji Restoration, was forced to withdraw from the political world. This time, if Hashishita’s ally Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka (56), opposes the majority, he will withdraw from the political world. Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura (45), who suddenly became a national ward due to measures against the new corona virus, gained momentum at first, but in the latest poll, opponents are quick to chase him. Restoration of 10 years of party formation. It is the most important moment. Voting is November 1.

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In front of Takashimaya in Namba, Osaka, which is also a holy place for restoration. When Mr. Yoshimura grabbed the microphone, there was applause. “I am happy to be in this place.” There was a sense of euphoria for a moment, but I immediately changed my mind and said, “I will stop the dual administration of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. That will lead to the growth of Osaka. Please give me a vote for the future of Osaka. Osaka “. Appealed.

This is the second referendum on the concept of the city, after 15 years. Last time, Mr. Hashishita withdrew from the political world after being rejected by a small margin. Both the restoration and the city plan were said to have been completed, but Mr. Matsui and Mr. Yoshimura won the double election twice and reached the referendum again. The Komei Party, which opposed him last time, turned in favor of “demonstrating the will of the people” and delivered a street speech along with the Restoration that day.

The restoration side feels a response compared to the previous time. The driving force is “Yoshimura’s popularity”. Leadership in the new corona measures was highly rated. The number of followers on Twitter, which was 300,000 at the end of March, has surpassed 1.09 million. The restoration designated areas that the previous referendum opposed as priority areas. Mr. Yoshimura and Mr. Matsui will be introduced to seek understanding.

If rejected, Mr. Matsui declares that he will retire as a politician. Yoshimura will continue to pitch, but a decrease in centripetal force is inevitable. At one point, the gap with the opponents, who had more than 10 points, is gradually narrowing. If the sign’s policy is rejected twice, it is exactly the “end of DEATH” of the restoration. It can also affect the measures of the Kan administration, which has good relations with the restoration.[Ryuji Matsuura]

◆ Osaka Metropolitan Government Proposed in 2010 by Toru Hashishita, who served as governor and mayor of the prefecture. The plan is to abolish the government-designated city of Osaka and reorganize it into a special district similar to the 23 districts of Tokyo. Wide area management, such as growth strategy, will be unified in Osaka prefecture, and special districts will be responsible for services to residents. If there are many in favor, the city of Osaka will be abolished on January 1, 2013. It will be the first time since the establishment of the system in 1956 if the city designated by the government is abolished. This referendum covers the reorganization plan in four special zones, “Yodogawa”, “North”, “Central” and “Tennoji”. The prefectural name is maintained and the legislation is required to change to “Osaka”.