Osaka: pro-IR parties win parliamentary seats in Japan’s elections

The Japan Restoration Party has won two seats while the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its national-level coalition partner Komeito each won one.

Japan.- Election results in Japan bode well for Osaka’s integrated resort plans. Pro-IR parties won all four House of Councillors seats up for election in Osaka. The Japan’s Restoration Party won two seats and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its national coalition partner Komeito each won one.

The Japan Restoration Party also maintains a majority of seats in the Osaka prefectural assembly. Some of the losing candidates had raised concerns about Osaka’s IR plans.

Osaka’s operator partner, the MGM-Orix consortium, has proposed to invest JPY1tn (US$9.1bn) in the planned IR. The proposed site is an artificial island: Dream Island, in Osaka Bay. The project has a target date of opening in 2029.

However, an anti-IR group claims it has passed the required minimum 2 per cent of voter signatures necessary to seek a referendum on the matter. The Osaka Prefectural Election Administration Commission has verified at least 146,472 of 208,552 signatures submitted on June 6. It is therefore expected that a draft ordinance will be presented in the prefectural assembly with the government’s opinion on the matter.

Of all the 125 of 248 upper-house seats up for election on Sunday, the Liberal Democratic Party won 63; Komeito won 13; the Constitutional Democratic Party 17; the Japan Restoration Party 12; the Democratic Party for the People five; the Japanese Communist Party four; Reiwa Shinsengumi three and other tickets eight.