Dictator vs. Dictator: The “Restoration Association” and City Council Members in a “Self-First Power Struggle” over the Osaka Metropolis Initiative

In the previous article, ” ‘I Want to Oust Representative Yoshimura’: Internal Divisions in the ‘ Osaka Restoration Association ‘ and the ‘Scenario’ Drawn by Anti-Establishment Faction in the Rekindling of the Osaka Metropolis Initiative,” we reported on the internal divisions and top-down problems in the “Osaka Restoration Association” over the Osaka Metropolis Initiative. In the second part of this report, we will reveal the power struggles that have erupted in the Restoration Association and the true intentions of the members of the association.

The anti-Yoshimura faction is on the move.

The anti-Yoshimura faction has begun to make its move. “It is not only the ‘Osaka Restoration Association,’ but in fact top-down dictatorship is prevailing in the Osaka City Council as well. It is no exaggeration to say that the current conflict over the Osaka Metropolitan Government is dictatorship vs. dictatorship. It is chaos. The “old politics,” which the executive branch loudly denies, is still continuing in Osaka.

One member of the Osaka City Council lamented the current state of the Restoration Association’s third “Osaka Metropolis Plan. The conflict between the Osaka City Council and Hirofumi Yoshimura, 50, leader of the Osaka Restoration Association, has been widely reported in the media, especially in Osaka, but what is going on inside the organization?

The double election for governor of Osaka Prefecture and mayor of Osaka City was held in February of this year. This was the third time that an election was held for the purpose of questioning the pros and cons of the “Osaka metropolitan government” concept, although it was also referred to within the party as a “run-off election. However, no major party other than the Osaka Restoration Association ran any notable candidates in this election, claiming, among other things, that there was “no good cause.

Even among the Osaka City Council members, there were some who said , “As expected, we cannot explain this double election to our supporters. The process, which could be described as arbitrary, was also criticized by Representative Yoshimura and Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama (44). One Osaka City Council member revealed, “Around the time of the double election, the movement of the forces that wanted to oust Representative Yoshimura became more active.

The objective of the opposition is to kill the proposal to establish a statutory council (an organization for consultation and consensus-building among the parties concerned on important policy issues) during this term. They may want to finally get Mr. Yoshimura to resign, but the opposition’s approach is blatant.

The most obvious example of this is the town meeting to Osaka citizens that began on April 5. Anticipating that there would be opposition, orders were issued to “suppress the venue anyway,” even before the content of the meeting had been decided. Most of the city council members are unaware that they are involved in a major power struggle.

As for the design of the metropolitan government system, which is the key to the plan, we hear opinions such as the following.

If Osaka City is abolished, it will be reorganized into special wards. If that happens, a new “administrative union” will be established to allow each ward to jointly implement some of the bureaus, such as the Waterworks Bureau. It is undeniable that this could become a place for politicians to take a fall. Some council members are concerned that the administrative union will be pointed out as a double administration, and they are not confident in the design of the system. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult for proponents of the metropolitan government concept to raise their voices.

An Attempt to Prevent National Political Entry

Another city council member explained, “Not all of the city council is against it.

My sense is that 60% of the city council members are in favor and 40% are opposed. However, there are many council members who have no choice but to take a position in favor of the metropolitan government because they helped run the re-election with the metropolitan government concept as the party. The current city council is just short of a majority with the Restoration Party. If even the slightest dissenting opinion is expressed, it is difficult to proceed with the proposal to establish a legal council.”

The problem goes beyond mere opposition from the city council. At a party executive meeting on February 15, Yoshimura is said to have expressed a desire to advance to national politics in the event the referendum is approved, but there are forces that do not approve of such a move. A reporter in charge of prefectural politics for a national newspaper explains.

There are certainly forces within the Ishin Diet that do not like Yoshimura, and there are some Diet members who frown upon him, saying, ‘We don’t want him to come to the Diet. Even so, The Japan Innovation Party would be devastated without Representative Yoshimura, who has nationwide name recognition. Because they understand this, they are not showing it in their attitude, but are working behind the scenes to oppose the metropolitan government concept and plot to block its entry into national politics.”

However, the continued existence of the situation in limbo will not be a positive for the Restoration Association or the people of Osaka. That is why former Representative Ichiro Matsui, 62, and other alumni are now “advising” the executive branch through media interviews and other means. A member of the Osaka Restoration Association lamented, “In the end, the metropolitan government’s concept of a “metropolitan government” is not a good thing.

In the end, it’s just an internal power struggle using the “vessel” of the metropolitan government concept. The citizens realized the meaninglessness of the metropolitan plan when they saw how little content was presented at the town meetings and became confused. The opposition’s plan is to postpone the submission of the proposal to establish a legal council during the current term. ……

The Osaka Metropolis concept is a policy based on the premise of “residents first,” but listening to the voices coming from within the party, it must be said that it has unfortunately fallen far short of its original purpose.