Overseas Network, September 3rd. On the 3rd local time, the Osaka City Council passed a relevant resolution to hold a public vote on the "Osaka Metropolitan Concept" plan. The voting and balloting time is tentatively scheduled for November 1st. If more than half of the votes are in favor , Osaka City will be upgraded to "Osaka Metropolis" from January 1, 2025.
According to a report from Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun on the 3rd, the “Osaka Metropolitan Conception” re-divided the 24 jurisdictions of Osaka City into four special districts under the unified management of Osaka Prefecture to reduce administrative costs and facilitate larger-scale urban construction. .
The Osaka Prefectural Assembly passed the relevant bill on August 28.
Due to the unpredictable changes in the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the voting announcement date is tentatively set to October 12, and the voting date is set to November 1.
It is understood that the "Osaka Metropolis Concept" was first proposed in 2010 by Toru Hashita, the mayor of Osaka at the time.
This plan intends to follow the example of Tokyo Metropolitan Government and merge the current 24 jurisdictions of Osaka City into several special districts under the management of Osaka Prefecture, thereby eliminating the dual administration of the prefecture and the city and enhancing economic vitality.
This move also aims to build Osaka into Japan's second city circle with the functions of the capital, so as to temporarily replace its administrative capital when Tokyo is hit by natural disasters and other accidents.
In 2015, the City of Osaka held a public vote on the "Osaka Metropolitan Concept". The result of the vote count showed that the number of opponents exceeded the supporters, and the "Osaka Metropolitan Concept" was rejected.
For this reason, Toru Hashishita, the mayor of Osaka at the time, announced that he would withdraw from Japanese politics after the end of his term.
According to a previous report by Agence France-Presse, Osaka’s intentional change may also be related to a certain identity crisis.
Hundreds of years ago, Osaka was Japan’s largest and most affluent commercial center and a distribution center for important commodities such as rice in the country. However, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it gradually went downhill.
On the other hand, Tokyo gradually built an internationally influential metropolis during the period of rapid economic growth in Japan, and its influence radiated to surrounding counties, forming a huge metropolitan area.
If the "Osaka City" plan can be realized, Osaka will also be among the international metropolises such as London, New York and Tokyo, and it is expected to regain the glory of the former commercial capital.
(Overseas Net King Xiluo)