Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Table of Contents
Osaka Mayor and Governor Elections Turn Off Voters as National Election Looms Large
We reported last week that Osaka’s mayor and governor resigned to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate. Well, they say a week is a long time in politics. That seems especially true this week, in Osaka.
Campaigning kicked off for the February 8th Mayoral and Gubernatorial elections. Despite this, many voters already have their eyes looking elsewhere
As we predicted last week, Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi announced on Monday plans to seek a fresh mandate. This comes despite only taking up Japan’s highest office around 3 months ago.
The national poll will take place on the same day as Osaka’s regional votes. However, several national parties have already made clear where their priorities lie.
So far, Takaichi’s LDP and the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance confirmed they won’t field candidates. The Japanese Communist Party also confirmed they have no interest in contesting Osaka’s mayoral and gubernatorial elections.
It means the only challenge that incumbents Hirofumi Yoshimura and Hideyuki Yokoyama of the Japan Innovation Party will face next month will come from local, independent candidates.
This complete lack of any cogent opposition has many Osaka voters asking: “What’s the point?”
Voters Asked to Affirm Support for JIP Plan, Despite Uncertainty at National Level
One issue is central to Osaka’s local elections. Osaka mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and governor Hirofumi Yoshimura seek a voter mandate for their Osaka Metropolis Plan. The plan, a flagship JIP policy has already been rejected twice by Osaka voter, in 2015 and again in 2020. Still, despite it being seen by many voters as flogging the proverbial dead horse, the JIP remain certain that a public endorsement of their two, largely unchallenged regional election candidates will be enough to shore up support for their plan.
There’s just one problem though: The JIP don’t have the political authority to make it happen. Even if they took 100% of the local vote on February 8th, any movement on the Osaka Metropolis Plan is by no means guaranteed.
Floating Voters Hold the Key
The survival of this, and the JIP’s other major election pledge, to reduce the number of seats in Japan’s lower house of parliament, hinges on the outcome of next month’s national election.
If Sanae Takaichi’s political gamble pays off, the LDP will have a fresh majority in government, and the JIP will, once again, find themselves cast into the political wilderness.
If she loses, it’s highly unlikely that the Centrist Reform Alliance would have much appetite for a coalition with the JIP, who have basically enabled Takaichi’s minority government for the past few months.
For the JIP to have any chance of advancing their political agenda, they need a voter breakdown very similar to the current, delicate, balance nationally.
That is just one of a number of possible scenarios in an election which is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent Japanese memory.
The JIP will also have to look to their right, as well as their left in the general election. In addition to the new centrist coalition, the far-right Sanseito Party is also expected to make in-roads. Conservative voters who feel that Takaichi’s calling of an early election is a cynical ploy and a personal power-grab may decide Sanseito offers a more authentic vision of their right-wing values.
Heavy Snow Warning Issued for Osaka Over the Weekend
Osaka, along with most of the Kansai region, endured blizzard conditions this week. The latest weather updates predict this cold snap will continue into the weekend and possibly beyond.
Travelers have been warned to anticipate possible delays and cancellations on the Osaka to Tokyo Sanyo Shinkansen line. Visitors planning to take in the sights in places like Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto are also advised to wrap up warm. They should also prepare for extremely cold temperatures for at least the next week or so.
In the meantime, we would advise our readers in Osaka to stay somewhere warm, and perhaps plan your weekend activities accordingly.
And Finally
Statistics released this week highlighted another unexpected beneficiary of the 2025 Osaka World Expo: Convenience stores.
Japan’s convenience stores, which include brands such as 7Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson, reported a record 12 trillion yen ($76 million US) in sales. This represents a 2.2% increase on the previous year. Inbound tourism, bolstered by the Osaka Expo was credited as one of the major contributing factors to this surge in demand.
It seems it’s not just over-worked salarymen who enjoy a “kombini beer” on the way home!
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
