The respective leadership in Osaka has consolidated its control one notch higher with the outcome of surprising elections that saw them draw bigger tallies. Even Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka’s city mayor, Hideyuki Yokoyama, who have been pushing hard for the construction of a combined resort with a casino in Osaka, have been caught with bigger numbers this time around.
Higher Vote Counts For Governor And Mayor
During the last Osaka gubernatorial elections, Hirofumi Yoshimura managed to obtain a little over 3.02 million votes. This helped him move slightly above his April 2023 elections results of slightly under 2.44 million. On the other hand, the results for the Osaka city mayor elections, where Hideyuki Yokoyama participated, resulted in him obtaining 830,257 votes. This is compared to the 655,802 votes he garnered in the April 2023 elections.
Both are affiliated with the Osaka Restoration Association, which is a regional affiliate of the political party at the national level: Innovation Party of Japan.
Political Backing For MGM Osaka IR
Both companies have long advocated for an integrated resort featuring a casino in Osaka. Already in development, MGM Osaka will have an investment of JPY1.51 trillion (approximately US$9.72 billion at current exchange rates); it is scheduled to open in 2030. The scale of this resort underscores how central casino-related policy has become to Osaka’s economic ambitions and local political debates.
According to GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent, no major parties besides the Osaka Restoration Association put forward candidates in the latest local ballots. The absence of heavyweight opposition on the ballot added another layer to the outcome, reflecting how dominant the pro-casino camp currently is in the city’s political scene.
Elections Tied To Osaka Metropolis Plan
The Sunday elections were not just about renewing leadership, but also about seeking public backing for a broader vision of Osaka’s future. Both officials had stepped down last month before the end of their terms, prompting the snap polls. Their decision to resign and run again was aimed at securing a clear popular mandate for the “Osaka metropolis plan”, a structural reform initiative they have been pushing.
Local media say this plan is designed to reposition Osaka as a kind of second capital for Japan by reshaping it into a major urban hub comparable to Tokyo. Reporting from The Mainichi describes the idea as turning Osaka into a city that functions like a twin capital through reorganisation. The Japan Times has outlined that the proposal would fold Osaka city’s wards into a government structure similar to Tokyo’s, a reform that cannot take effect without a local referendum. If held, that vote would be the 3rd referendum on the issue, after 2 previous attempts were narrowly voted down.
National Context For Casino Policy Backers
The local results arrived alongside a strong showing at the national level for politicians who support casino-related policies. Sanae Takaichi of the Liberal Democratic Party, a known advocate of casino policy, became Japan’s first female prime minister in October and has now secured what has been described as a supermajority in the national parliament’s snap election. Her victory cements the LDP’s grip on the national legislature and strengthens a government that has been open to integrated resort development.
Meanwhile, the Japan Innovation Party, which is affiliated with the local coalition that is in power in Osaka, added two to its tally in the lower house and now has a total of 36 seats in the House of Representatives. The increase is naturally noteworthy but smaller in scale in relation to the large increase of its rival. For Osaka, however, the presence of enhanced local backing and favorable national circumstances ensures that the metropolis plan and MGM Osaka would continue to be a topic of interest.
Source: GGR Asia
AloJapan.com