Governor, mayor resign to create 'Osaka metropolis'

@ Ilovecoffee

 They also privatized the Osaka metro

If by privatize, you mean creating a company where all the shares are owned by the City of Osaka,

The subway will be operated by a new stock company, Osaka Metro, whose shares are held entirely by the city of Osaka. (Mayor) Hirofumi Yoshimura, won the assembly's approval after proposing that the municipal government own all shares in the new company.

then I guess they privatized it. Seems to me more like an unnecessary name change and an opportunity for a retired guy to parachute into a plumb position....

Their push for political decentralization of the country is having a lot of old dinosaurs and elites scared.

Thats right, that’s what happen when the reformers come along.

All the vested interests get themselves organize and spin up lots of dumb reasons why the status quo is always and forever the best.

It’s amazing that IloveCoffes comment attracted some thumb downs. Full thumbs up from me!

Good plan, to eliminate some useless bureaucracy and save some tax payer money.

No wonder some people are against it.

attempting to use the elections for its own benefit

That’s how democracy works no?

ILoveCoffee:

"...something like a plan to federalize Japan by reorganizing the country into larger regions instead of the current prefectures, and giving these regions more autonomy and rights similar to the US states or in the case of UK - scotland/england,wales etc."

Both are a bit different. The US is federal; the UK has home rule, but is a unitary state like Japan. Not trying to nitpick, just wanted to share :)

As far as consolidating into regions, that's really not necessary. The US has 50 states, Japan could get by with 47.

At a macro level, does anyone know what % of our taxes actually goes to pay for the salaries and associated costs of government workers, as opposed to actual goods and services that the citizens want? I’m guessing it’s 30-50%.

What would be a good number? If you follow the labor theory of value as set out by Adam Smith and later by Karl Marx, shouldn't it be close to 100%? That's assuming it's the government workers delivering the services.

While I do not follow Osaka politics as closely as some of the other posters here, I agree that administrative streamlining is a good thing. At a macro level, does anyone know what % of our taxes actually goes to pay for the salaries and associated costs of government workers, as opposed to actual goods and services that the citizens want? I’m guessing it’s 30-50%.

Here that noise in the distance, that is the train that is about to run over these two. The show has grown tired and the voters do not care anymore about a unified Osaka. The other parties are going to crush Ishin no Kai. Which may make things worse but so it goes.

I hope people in Osaka will say a clear no to them this time around.  Or least one of them won't get elected.

Yamaguchi-gumi of Kobe most likely wants a metropolis formed.

I don't agree with some of Ishin's political ideologies and dog-whistling, but I think their proposals for administrative streamlining make a lot of sense.

These guys are like abe and their cronies, they are not right-wing politicians ! They only wear the right-wing mask.

Hilarious.

hiragino4410,

These guys are like abe and their cronies, they are not right-wing politicians ! They only wear the right-wing mask.

Look at all these politicians from left to center left

if you think these guys are left you don't know much about Osaka local politics.

What did it cost again the last couple of times Hashimoto's baby failed? More than 8 million per? I hope after they resign they are Simply replaced by people who ACTUALLY represent the will of the people instead of just morons who "want to show Osaka is like Tokyo!" I have had serious chats, even arguments, with people in my small town who want this Osaka Metropolis. I ask them why, and it is ONLY about pride -- they say, "We're just as good as Tokyo!" I asked them why they need a metropolis status to prove that if they know it for for a fact. I then point out that the "beautiful water" they Always feel pride about the city having would be funnelled out -- this is according to plans they can easily look up -- to the prefecture, and local résidents would no longer have free access or control over it. The people get this look like a deer in headlights, and in a few cases it's followed by anger and denial. They Don't seem to have any idea of what it would mean for small cities run largely by local governments. While I agree that local city offices can shave a lot of the amakudari jobs off, this plan Simply favors big business in the city center, and removes all automony from towns on the outskirts, which would be shirked by said business thereafter.

But, it's like telling a Trump supporter who suffers Under Trump that they continue to make a mistake in supporting the man; these people will not listen to Reason, and seemingly would rather suffer just so they can have the idea -- false, at that -- that a different title will somehow make Osaka better in the eyes of the region and the world.

Look at all these politicians from left to center left

my Goodness, Japan are screwed!

I watched the whole press conference with these two on the FCCJ, and i have been also closely following some of their other party members, including Hashimoto, and i also read their party platform. I can honesly say these two are the best thing that has happened to Japan since Koizumi. The political changes that they are pushing for is exactly what Japan needs. Not only do they want to restructure Osaka to model Tokyo in order to get rid of the double layer of administration and bureaucracy that is eating the region from the inside, but they also plan on pushing for the so called 道州制 system on a national level, which for those of you who don't know, is something like a plan to federalize Japan by reorganizing the country into larger regions instead of the current prefectures, and giving these regions more autonomy and rights similar to the US states or in the case of UK - scotland/england,wales etc. Their push for political decentralization of the country is having a lot of old dinosaurs and elites scared. Their party is the largest in Osaka, which is probably the only city after Tokyo that has the power to push for change on a national level. I really hope they succeed. They also privatized the Osaka metro, and cut a lot of waste in the city. Watch their whole talk on YouTube. Very smart and ambitious people.

The idea to create the "Osaka metropolis" -- originally a pet project of former Osaka Gov and Mayor Toru Hashimoto -- is aimed at consolidating the power of the political party Osaka Ishin no Kai.

Again?

Well if at first you don't succeed, I guess 'explaining it to the voters' until you gain their 'understanding' is always a path forward, at least in Japan.

We are tired of their circus.

Nice strategizing.