Proposed name for 4 special wards officially decided Same as previous referendum - Osaka metropolitan plan

On the 5th, Osaka Prefecture and the city held a legal council meeting at City Hall to discuss the proposed system regarding the ``Osaka Metropolis Plan,'' which would abolish Osaka City and reorganize it into special wards, and officially decided on the proposed names for the four new special wards. The plan will be included in the ``memorandum of understanding'' of the city plan to be finalized by the end of this year, and the vote for or against it will be asked in the third referendum, which is scheduled to be held next spring.

The proposed name is (1) ``Yodogawa Ward,'' which consists of four administrative wards, including the current Yodogawa Ward, (2) ``Kita Ward,'' which consists of six administrative wards, including Kita Ward, (3) ``Chuo Ward,'' which consists of seven administrative wards, including Chuo Ward, and (4) ``Tennoji Ward,'' which consists of seven administrative wards including Tennoji Ward. The proposal was made by Osaka Ishin no Kai, the only regional political party participating in the legal association.

When considering the name of the ward, Ishin conducted its own questionnaire and public opinion poll. As a result, the same names were adopted as in the previous referendum held in 2020, which asked whether the reorganization into four special wards was appropriate, although some of the ward divisions were different.

The prefectural and city secretariats at the legal association have shown an estimate that if the city transitions to a special ward in January 2031, the four wards as a whole will be able to generate a surplus of about 50 billion yen or more each year, taking into account the effects of the opening of integrated resorts (IRs).