OSAKA ¨C The official campaign period for the Feb. 8 Osaka gubernatorial election began on Thursday, following the resignation of the previous governor, Hirofumi Yoshimura, in an attempt to revive the so-called Osaka metropolis plan.
Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, and two independents filed their candidacies Thursday.
The 50-year-old former governor hopes that the election will focus on the metropolis plan, which calls for restructuring the city of Osaka, the prefecture¡¯s capital, into special wards.
¡°A stronger Osaka will strengthen Japan,¡± Yoshimura said in his first campaign speech. ¡°For this, the metropolis plan is necessary.¡±
Yoshimura has also said that the metropolis plan is essential for a secondary capital plan included in the coalition agreement between the JIP and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The metropolis plan was rejected by a majority vote in both the 2015 and 2020 local referendums. Aiming to hold a third referendum, Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama, 44, resigned earlier this month to face voter judgment in a double election for governor and mayor.
The Osaka mayoral election will also be held on Feb. 8, as well as a general election.
In the gubernatorial race, 44-year-old company manager Tamotsu Natto and 61-year-old political group co-representative Tsuneki Onishi will challenge Yoshimura. Onishi opposes the metropolis plan, while Natto has indicated his willingness to approve the plan if about 90% of the prefecture¡¯s residents accept it.
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