politics

Osaka to hold referendum on Hashimoto's merger plan

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The city is known for its plain-talking people, who speak a dialect of Japanese rich with its own vocabulary and shorn of some of the politesse that characterises the capital—a place Osakans often regard as somewhat effete.

I love the Kansai-ben! :3

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well There are two separate but very similar English teaching programmes in Osaka...One with Osaka City and the other is with Osaka Fu (prefecture). The differences are as follows: Osaka City teachers ....12 days paid holiday, No sick leave at all, 3 year contract limit. Osaka Fu teachers, 20 days holidays, sick leave provision, unlimited contracting capabilities. If I could vote, I know how I would vote....because if I am to take this as an example of what is to come, then we are screwed if it is a go.....

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As far as I don't like Hashimoto, it seems to be a good idea to make Osaka bigger. I'm not sure how this is going to cut costs though.

I suspect that Hashimoto just wants more power. In the end, it makes it really difficult to know who really benefits from this, there couldn't be a more vague explanation of the pros and cons of this plan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

All other political parties are against it so there must be something good about it. On the other hand, Hashimoto is a blowhard and an empty suit. Most articles on it are like this one: totally lacking in details. So, in the end, I've no idea. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Hashimoto gone from politics. I've had enough of his reality TV show.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ah, Osaka, the Me-too city. Mokarimakka?

Plain-speaking and funny? That is not the Osaka I have lived in for years. Perhaps those drilled in the comedic factory but few others.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Every time Hashimoto opens his mouth it sound like he is speaking out of his 'donkey'. It's high time this old horse was put out to pasture - on the Senkoku islands!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Osaka really needs a big shake-up. It's economy and vitality has been sinking for 25 years now. (I know Kanto and Chubu have, too but they've had occasional upticks now and then while Kansai hasn't.)

To answer the poster above who asked how would this save money, each ward has its own separate bureaucracy and lots of govt workers. Having 5 "special districts" would cut down on this dramatically. This is what happened when Koizumi merged the hundreds of villages and towns across Japan in the early/mid 2000s.

Osaka needs something to pull it out of its free falling economy and stagnant funk especially in the southern part of the prefecture which is bordering on bankruptcy. This plan might help.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"Hashimoto, whose Osaka Restoration Party is backing the plan, has vowed to “retire from politics” if the yes-or-no referendum fails."

Yeah, isn't that the third time he's made this promise? When you can't even live up to a promise to resign after your vows and projects have failed, that says something. It cannot be debated that this is anything but a vanity project, because that's what it is -- and when you point that out, he throws a hissy fit and says he'll bar that media from interviews, etc. The guy wants everything his way, or not at all -- except when he doesn't get his way... then he tries again and insists he gets his way. That's what we're seeing here. This is the reason why he changed from Governor to Mayor.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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