大阪都構想の住民投票　またやる目的・前回との違いは？

What is the purpose of Osaka Metropolis Plan?

The Osaka Metropolis Plan is a systematic plan to abolish the city of Osaka, which has a population of about 2.7 million, and reorganizes it into four special wards such as the 23 wards of Tokyo. 

The ward in Osaka City is a part of the city called the administrative ward, but if it becomes a special ward, it will become an independent municipality. Both the ward mayor and the ward council members will be elected. It has greater authority than the special wards of Tokyo, such as the appointment of teachers at public elementary and junior high schools and the issuance of passports. In the referendum, we ask the citizens directly about the pros and cons.

There are 20 ordinance-designated cities nationwide, including Osaka City, but if passed by a referendum, there will be no ordinance-designated cities for the first time since the system was established in 1956. Attention is also focused on whether to abolish the city of Osaka, which has continued for more than 130 years. It can be said that this is an important milestone in questioning the state of the local autonomy system that has continued for a long time after the war.

The biggest change from the last 2015 referendum was the reduction of the number of special wards from five to four. With this, the population disparity in the special section has been reduced from 2 to 1.3 times, and the revenue disparity per inhabitant has also been reduced from 2.8 to 2 times. The main government building in the special wards will not be newly constructed, and the initial cost will be reduced from 60 billion yen to 24.1 billion yen. To stabilize the finances of the special wards, Osaka Prefecture will distribute 2 billion yen each year for 10 years.

The point that most of the authority that Osaka City had, such as growth strategy and infrastructure development, will be transferred to Osaka Prefecture is the same as last time. Proponents of the Tokyo Metropolis Plan argue that eliminating the "dual administration" of overlapping authority between prefectures and cities will enable the reduction of wasteful spending and quick decision-making, leading to the growth of Osaka as a whole.

Opponents point out that while the cost of establishing a special ward will increase, tax revenue will decrease due to the impact of the new corona. It complains that resident services will decline due to a lack of financial resources. There is also a concern that the uniform service in the city may differ in quality and quantity between the special wards.

Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNBD2D6JNB9PTIL01M.html