A referendum on the implementation of the Osaka Metropolis Plan was held in Osaka on 17 May 2015. In the event of a "yes" vote, the wards in Osaka City would be reorganized into special wards similar to those in Tokyo. The proposal was defeated by a slim margin of 10,741 votes (0.76%).^[1]

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Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum

17 May 2015 (2015-05-17)
Referendum on the implementation of the Osaka Metropolis plan
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 694,844 49.62% No 705,585 50.38% Valid votes 1,400,429 99.60% Invalid or blank votes 5,655 0.40% Total votes 1,406,084 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 2,104,076 66.83%
Result by ward.   Yes   No

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50.4% voted against the proposal.^[2] 13 out of 24 Osaka wards voted "no".

Interest on the referendum was particularly high. The turnout of 66.83% is 5.91% higher than the turnout in the 2011 mayoral and gubernatorial election.^[1]

Totals

More information Choice, Votes ...

Referendum results

Choice	Votes	%
No	705,585	50.38
Yes	694,844	49.62
Valid votes	1,400,429	99.60
Invalid or blank votes	5,655	0.40
Total votes	1,406,084	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	2,104,076	66.83
Source: Osaka City Electoral Commission

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After the defeat of the plan he had championed in the previous five years, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto announced that he would retire from politics once his term expired in December 2015.^[2][3] A major shakeup also occurred in Hashimoto's Japan Innovation Party, with the leader Kenji Eda and secretary-general Yorihisa Matsuno both announcing their resignation from their posts after the defeat.^[1]

The referendum outcome was perceived as a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had supported the plan despite opposition from the Osaka branch of his Liberal Democratic Party, hoping that the Innovation Party would in turn support his efforts to amend the Constitution.^[4][5]