Newly appointed Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto outlined his vision for the city and prefecture during his first policy speech at a city council members meeting on Thursday.
Hashimoto said he will attempt to influence Japan's national administrative structure by first altering the way the municipal government works as well as reorganizing Osaka's self-governing system, Fuji TV reported.
In the policy address, Hashimoto also said he intends to carry out his election promise of turning the greater Osaka area into a centralized metropolis, structurally similar to the Tokyo metropolitan area, in an attempt to "change Japan from Osaka."
Hashimoto also vowed to tackle Osaka's labor unions, claiming that tighter controls on union behavior would be necessary in order to prevent financial disaster, Fuji reported.
© Japan Today
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GenevaMan
Can't wait to visit the Suupaa Osaka metolopolisu, conjugating the expertise in loud, drunk and obnoxious behaviour of its male citizen and the offenssively excessive in self-display of boorish clothes and make-up of its hysteric female counterparts, to bring you the ultimate "jeez, I need to gtfo of this slum asap" experience.
Osaka, a land of contrasts.
some14some
@GenevaMan: that's why Osaka has now a mayor with Grand Vision who is likely to bring positive changes in Japan's Geopolitics.
nsg79
And how exactly is this grand vision going to be financed?!
southsakai
C'mon now bro, is it that bad really? lol
southsakai
Well i guess for a start, he will continue chopping everyone's salaries so people will almost be working for Free and close up these so called "money draining establishments" like libraries you know.
Wife was working for a local government dept. He slashes the salary down 3 times in just 16 months. Me sayeth to wife to quit thy job. She quit :)
tmarie
He'll chop but yet some of his staff just got nice fat bonuses. Can't have an international city with a racist right singer calling the shots! Teachers are not happy this guy is in charge.
ubikwit
yeah, now it's an attack the unions? obviously not a populist in the mold of obama supporting the occupy movement.
he is obviously getting advice from the cretins financing the so-called tea party in the usa--that would be those texas maggots the koch brothers, a prominent and pro-active faction of the so-called 1%.
why are these so-called elites backing populist movements? i say it is an attempt to undermine the form of participatory politics that is capable of holding them accountable for attempting to corrupt the system from within.
Michael Craig
Ishihara's the racist right-winger. Hashmoto's just right-winged.
My heart goes out to Osaka's teachers and unions!
SamuraiBlue
Ooh boy people who are completely ignorant of the overlapping bureaucracy within the Osaka Prefecture government and the Osaka Shi local government can say anything can't they.
Hashimoto is trying to remove those unnecessary redundancies that the region is filled with and stream-line government service sifting which local government looks after what. Of course some of the local bureaucrats will be shafted through the process but they are not needed in the first place. This method should also be done in the national level with so many overlapping bureaucracy with unnecessary federal bureaucrats overloading the national government budget which are doing little or none since it's being taken care of at the local level. It's not a tea party activity like the US, it's just removing the excess baggage removing the overlapping part to stream-line service and reduce cost due to the overlapping area.
Hide Suzuki
Why are you guys bashing Hashimoto ? Thanks to him, now I know city bus drivers are making over 8,000,000 when they are losing money. Does anyone have problems with him trying to reduce their salaries ?
And that's only one of the millions of things he needs to change with Osaka.
Elbuda Mexicano
Osaka is out of control! Not enough police to control of them wild Kansai Jin!
Elbuda Mexicano
How about closing down that old ass airport in Osaka,Itami, when they built that shiny new airport out in Osaka Bay, Kansai International such a waste of a beautiful airport!!
nath
This is just his first step to change rotten fruit Osaka City with rotten civil workers / civil labor unions including municipal school teacher union. This changes are inevitable essentially in order to reduce vested interest of them for long time. For example, they did take part in an election campaign in the municipal mayor election INSIDE of the municipal accommodations, such as their office in public. This is never allowed for public servants!!! These kinds of the rotten parts are found in public. (It's similar with Olympus Corporation.)
And you may find out the double standards or multi-standards for national and local government for vested interests.
The struggle has begun against ancient resume since 1945, or more older matters since 1868 (Meiji-Era).
And there are week force among the localized political parties over Japan, and between Your Party.
tmarie
What does forcing teachers to stand and sing have to do with the budget?!
Airlines don't want to fly into kix because the landing fees are far too expensive. They created that problem on their own and many airlines left.
I have no problems with cutting waste and getting the books in order but I don't think libraries are waste. Though I do think lightening up midosuji is. He can't be for something and then allow his staff nice fat bonuses minutes after he gets into office.
MaboDofuIsSpicy
Libraries are a total waste. You can have to trailers filled with computers and cover the needs that way. Paper volumes are useless.
As far as unions go, when they protect dead wood they suck. Other than that they are ok.
He should not take a salary. That would show some Canolis and sincerity.
tmarie
I disagree that libraries are a waste. Great resources that many use.
Indeed, perhaps he could not take a salary or give himself a cut!
SamuraiBlue
Here is a list of libraries within Osaka;
< http://www.reference-net.jp/lib_dir/27.html>
Some of them are standing side by side. Some are runned by the Prefectural local government, others are runned by various city local government.
Just shows how overlapping governmental service can become wasteful.
kwbrow2
Streamline the government sounds like a strange campaign slogan. Reduce wasteful spending, protect children, increase alternative energy, & eliminate incompetent judges are campaign slogans I can support.