2015 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum

2015 referendum in Osaka and surrounding cities, Japan gov 大阪市特別区設置住民投票 May 2015 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum 2015 05 17 y Osaka Referendum on the implementation of the Osaka Metropolis plan 694844 705585 1406084 2104076 Result of Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum, 2015.svg ward Result by ward.8em#45739F Yes#8C8C53 No 2020 2020 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum A referendum on the implementation of the Osaka Metropolis Plan was held in Osaka on 17 May 2015. In the event of a "yes" vote, the wards in Osaka City would be reorganized into special wards similar to those in Tokyo. The proposal was defeated by a slim margin of 10,741 votes (0.76%).The Japan Times, May 17, 2015: Hashimoto announces exit from politics after Osaka rejects merger plan in referendum A rerun referendum in 2020 was defeated by a similar margin. Results 50.4% voted against the proposal.The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun), May 18, 2015: Osaka rejects city reform plan; Hashimoto to retire 13 out of 24 Osaka wards voted "no". Interest on the referendum was particularly high. The turnout of 66.83% is 5.91% higher than the turnout in the 2011 mayoral and gubernatorial election. Totals 694844 1400429 705585 2104076 5655 Osaka City Electoral Commission By wards WardElectorateVotes forVotes againstFor(%)Against(%)Valid votesInvalid votesTotalTurnout(%)Proposed special wardKita-ku94,12836,01925,00159.0% right41.0%61,02022861,24865.1%Kita-kuMiyakojima-ku82,23730,13526,67153.0% right47.0%56,80620557,01169.3%Fukushima-ku56,79821,58617,26755.6% right44.4%38,85313138,98468.6%Konohana-ku54,47017,59718,87248.3%51.7% right36,46913736,60667.2%Wangan-kuChūō-ku71,81924,33620,65754.1% right45.9%44,99316445,15762.9%Chūō-kuNishi-ku70,28726,09419,16057.7% right42.3%45,25416245,41664.6%Minato-ku66,67321,41023,35147.8%52.2% right44,76117244,93367.4%Wangan-kuTaishō-ku55,15916,64621,21144.0%56.0% right37,85713137,98868.9%Tennōji-ku54,77418,32720,81546.8%53.2% right39,14217439,31671.8%Chūō-kuNaniwa-ku48,93613,56312,18952.7% right47.3%25,7529825,85052.8%Nishiyodogawa-ku75,82723,67028,33745.5%54.5% right52,00717952,18668.8%Wangan-kuYodogawa-ku138,51548,56638,90355.5% right44.5%87,46937987,84863.4%Kita-kuHigashiyodogawa-ku136,35343,38841,34051.2% right48.8%84,72833685,06462.4%Higashinari-ku61,08520,68920,66750.0% right50.0%41,35619441,55068.0%Higashi-kuIkuno-ku83,88625,39629,19046.5%53.5% right54,58623654,82265.4%Asahi-ku74,37123,14528,04845.2%54.8% right51,19320951,40269.1%Jōtō-ku132,09146,72845,78450.5% right49.5%92,51233892,85070.3%Tsurumi-ku85,85229,85929,75250.1% right49.9%59,61122259,83369.7%Abeno-ku85,35430,43432,44648.4%51.6% right62,88025463,13474.0%Minami-kuSuminoe-ku100,86733,18436,88047.4%52.6% right70,06425070,31469.7%Minami-ku/Wangan-kuSumiyoshi-ku123,54938,62345,95045.7%54.3% right84,57337384,94668.8%Minami-kuHigashisumiyoshi-ku105,45634,07937,32247.7%52.3% right71,40136371,76468.1%Hirano-ku155,52746,07256,95944.7%55.3% right103,031487103,51866.6%Nishinari-ku90,06225,29828,81346.8%53.2% right54,11123354,34460.3%Chūō-kuOsaka City2,104,076694,844705,58549.62%50.38%1,400,4295,6551,406,08466.83% Reactions to the result After the defeat of the plan he had championed in the previous five years, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto announced that he would retire from politics once his term expired in December 2015.The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun), May 18, 2015: No retreat: Hashimoto’s final act A major shakeup also occurred in Hashimoto's Japan Innovation Party, with the leader Kenji Eda and secretary-general Yorihisa Matsuno both announcing their resignation from their posts after the defeat. The referendum outcome was perceived as a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had supported the plan despite opposition from the Osaka branch of his Liberal Democratic Party, hoping that the Innovation Party would in turn support his efforts to amend the Constitution.The Japan Times, May 18, 2015: Osaka referendum causes turbulence for LDP, KomeitoAsahi Shimbun, May 18, 2015: Defeat of Osaka referendum hurts Abe's constitutional revision strategy https://web.archive.org/web/20150521010804/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201505180029 2015-05-21 References Category:2015 elections in Japan Category:Elections in Osaka Prefecture Category:Political history of Osaka Prefecture Category:Referendums in Japan Category:2015 referendums Category:May 2015 in Japan Category:Administrative division referendums Category:21st century in Osaka