Ishin’s Internal War Over Osaka Metropolis Plan Draws Dictator Comparisons

In the previous article, “[The Scenario Being Drawn by Anti-Establishment Forces and Internal Divisions Within the Ishin Party Over the Revival of the Osaka Metropolis Plan and the Push to Oust Representative Yoshimura],” we reported on the internal rifts within Osaka Ishin no Kai over the Osaka Metropolis Plan and the problems with its top-down leadership style. In this second part, we reveal the power struggle erupting within the party and the true feelings of its lawmakers.

The anti-Yoshimura faction begins to move

“It’s not just Osaka Ishin no Kai — in reality, a top-down style of dictatorship is rampant even within the Osaka city assembly group. The current conflict over the Osaka Metropolis Plan could honestly be described as dictator versus dictator. It’s chaos. The old politics that the leadership loudly condemns is still alive and well in Osaka.”

One member of the Osaka city assembly lamented the current state of Ishin surrounding the third attempt at the “Osaka Metropolis Plan” in this way. While clashes between the Osaka city assembly group and party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura(50) have been widely reported by Kansai-based media outlets, what exactly is happening internally?

In February this year, Osaka held simultaneous elections for governor and mayor. Within the party, they were even referred to as do-over elections, but this marked the third election centered on whether to pursue the Osaka Metropolis Plan. However, claiming the election lacked any real justification, the major opposition parties outside Ishin declined to field notable candidates.

Even within the Osaka city assembly group, some reportedly argued that there’s no way we can explain this double election to our supporters. The process — seen as effectively a unilateral decision by Representative Yoshimura and Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama (44) — also drew criticism. One Osaka city assembly member revealed:

“Ever since the double election, movements by factions wanting to push Yoshimura out have become much more active.”

“The opposition faction’s goal is to block the proposal to establish a statutory council during the current term — a body meant for consultation and consensus-building on important policy issues. Ultimately, they probably want Yoshimura to resign and take responsibility, but the way the opposition is going about it is extremely blatant.

The clearest example is the town hall meetings with Osaka citizens that began on April 5. Anticipating that opposition voices would emerge, orders were given to secure venues no matter what even before the details had been finalized. Most city assembly members don’t even realize they’re being drawn into a massive power struggle.”

There are also growing concerns regarding the actual institutional design of the Osaka Metropolis Plan itself.

“If Osaka City is abolished, it will be reorganized into special wards. In that case, new inter-ward administrative unions would need to be established so that services like the water bureau could continue operating jointly across multiple wards. There are concerns that these unions could become landing spots for political patronage appointments. Some lawmakers are worried the administrative unions themselves could be criticized as creating another layer of duplicate bureaucracy, which makes them lose confidence in the institutional design. That’s one reason supporters of the Metropolis Plan have become hesitant to speak out,” the same assembly member explained.

A scheme to block a move into national politics

Another city assembly member explained that it’s not as though the entire city assembly group is opposed, before continuing:

“My sense is that about 60% of the city assembly group supports the plan, while 40% opposes it. However, because we helped campaign in the ‘do-over election’ that the party framed around the Osaka Metropolis Plan, there are quite a few lawmakers who feel forced to publicly support it. Right now, the Ishin caucus only barely holds a majority in the city assembly. Even a small amount of dissent makes it difficult to move forward with the bill to establish the statutory council.”

The issue goes beyond simple resistance from the city assembly group. At a party executive meeting on February 15, Hirofumi Yoshimura reportedly expressed interest in moving into national politics if a referendum on the plan were approved. However, there are factions within the party that oppose such a move. A reporter covering Osaka prefectural politics for a national newspaper explained:

“There are definitely factions within the national parliamentary group of Nippon Ishin no Kai that dislike Representative Yoshimura, and some lawmakers openly frown at the idea of him coming to the national Diet. That said, without Yoshimura — who has nationwide name recognition — the party would suffer a devastating blow. Because they understand that, they don’t openly show their opposition. Instead, behind the scenes, they are working against the Osaka Metropolis Plan in an attempt to block his move into national politics.”

Still, this prolonged state of limbo is not beneficial for either Ishin or the people of Osaka. That is why former party leader Ichiro Matsui (62) and other party veterans have begun offering advice to the leadership through media interviews and other channels. One lawmaker belonging to Osaka Ishin no Kai lamented:

“In the end, this is an internal power struggle using the container of the Osaka Metropolis Plan. Citizens will realize how meaningless the plan is because of the shallow content of the town meetings, leading to confusion and backlash. Then the proposal to establish the statutory council during the current term will be shelved — I think that’s the opposition faction’s scenario.”

The Osaka Metropolis Plan was originally conceived as a policy centered on putting residents first. However, listening to the voices coming from within the party, one cannot help but conclude that it has sadly devolved into something far removed from its original purpose.