Japan Press Weekly

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2015 April 22 - 28 [POLITICS]

Campaign for referendum on Hashimoto’s plan to divide up Osaka City begins

Akahata editorial (excerpt)

Osaka City will hold a referendum on Mayor Hashimoto’s plan to divide up the city with a population of 2.7 million into five special zones and transfer its revenue sources and administrative authority to the Osaka Prefectural government. The referendum will take place on May 17 after a 20-day campaign starting on April 27. This is a part of the attempt to establish an “Osaka metropolis” by Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru and his party, Osaka Ishin no Kai. If “yes” votes exceed “no” votes in the referendum regardless of voter turnout, the city will be disbanded in April 2017. The division of the city into five special zones will bring about a setback in public services in various fields, including social security and education, currently provided by the city.

As a major city whose function is similar to a prefecture, the Osaka City government has broad authority and a strong financial base. The planned five special zones, however, will have more limited administrative power and smaller tax revenues. This means that the five zones will have difficulties in maintaining the existing city programs, such as the free medical care to junior high school students.

At present, about 760,000 Osaka citizens are covered by the national health insurance program. Many residents gathered together to voice the concern that insurance premiums are too high. Pushed by these voices, the Osaka City government provides a subsidy (17.6 billion yen in 2014) to lower the rate of the premiums. An estimate shows that if this measure is terminated after the dissolution of Osaka City, the premiums will go up by 23,000 yen.

Mayor Hashimoto’s “Osaka metropolis” scheme will not prune away superfluities of the city government as he claims. It will merely cut down on public services and concentrate power in the hands of the Osaka governor.

Osaka City is one of the biggest cities in Japan. It also matters to people across the country whether the city’s very existence will be protected by the power of the people united.