Politics Dec. 20, 2011 - 07:15AM JST ( 4 )

OSAKA —

Toru Hashimoto took office as Osaka mayor on Monday after defeating Kunio Hiramatsu on Nov 27. After speaking to municipal employees on what he expects of them, Hashimoto came to Tokyo on Monday night to seek political support for his vision for Osaka.

Hashimoto, 42, won on his platform to make Osaka a global economic contender. He had resigned as governor on Oct 31, three months before his term expires, to run for mayor.

He said Monday that administrative reform tops his agenda. At a news conference, Hashimoto repeated his campaign message that there is too much inefficiency and overlap in the administrative functions of the prefecture and the city, NHK reported. He said he doesn’t care what people think of him and that he intends to carry out “the will of the people.” 

Hashimoto said that he plans to consolidate the administrative frameworks of the city and the prefecture to create a new Osaka to compete with Tokyo and other major cities around the world, NHK reported.

Hashimoto has previously indicated that if the central government and major political parties don’t back his plan to unify the dual administrative functions of Osaka — which requires a revision to the Local Autonomy Law — his party may field candidates in the next lower house election, though he won’t run himself.

Hashimoto is backed by his regional Osaka Ishin No Kai (Restoration Group), which has a majority in the Osaka prefectural assembly and Osaka municipal assembly.

On Monday night, Hashimoto met with DPJ policy affairs chief Seiji Maehara. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he will discuss his Osaka reform initiative with representatives of other political parties.

Japan Today