2026 Osaka mayoral election

2026 Osaka mayoral election

←  2023 8 February 2026 2027 →

Candidate Hideyuki Yokoyama Party One Osaka

Incumbent Mayor of Osaka Hideyuki Yokoyama One Osaka

The 2026 Osaka mayoral election will be held on 8 February 2026 to elect the mayor of Osaka. It will be held alongside the 2026 Osaka gubernatorial election and 2026 Japanese general election. It was triggered by the resignation of Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama, who is seeking re-election as a mandate for a third referendum on the Osaka Metropolis Plan.

Background

The Osaka Metropolis Plan has been a long-term goal of the Osaka Restoration Association (One Osaka), of which Yokoyama is a member. The plan would merge the municipality of Osaka and the Osaka Prefecture into a metropolis akin to Tokyo. The plan had been previously rejected in referendums 2015 and 2020 by a narrow margin. Yokoyama was elected mayor of Osaka City in 2023.

In late 2024, Japan Innovation Party, One Osaka's national affiliate, entered a governing agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party. Part of the agreement was a plan to designate a secondary capital for Japan. In order to enhance the chances of Osaka being selected, Yokoyama and the party decided to revive the Metropolis Plan. ^[1]

On 16 January 2026, Yokoyama and Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura announced that they were both resigning from their posts in order to seek a mandate for a third referendum. ^[2]

Candidates

Incumbent Yokoyama is seeking re-election. Besides Yokoyama's Nippon Ishin party, none of the major national political parties ran or endorsed candidates. ^[3]

Candidate			Party	Background
		Hideyuki Yokoyama (age 44)	One Osaka	Mayor of Osaka (2023–26) Member of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly (2011–23)
		Eitaro Chujo (age 56)	Independent	Real estate company manager
		Nepensa (age 51)	Independent	Artist; real name Shin Adachi
		Tomohiro Chiyo (age 58)	Independent	Real estate businessman
		Shigenori Hayashi (age 52)	Independent	Incorporated foundation chairman

See also

• 2026 Japanese local elections
• 2026 Osaka gubernatorial election - held on the same day
• 2026 Japanese general election - held on the same day
• 2026 Yamaguchi gubernatorial election - held on the same day
• 2026 Nagasaki gubernatorial election - held on the same day

References

1. "Osaka governor mulls stepping down to pave way for secondary capital designation". The Japan Times . 13 January 2026.
2. Johnston, Eric (16 January 2026). "Yoshimura gambles on double election to push plan to merge Osaka city's wards". The Japan Times .
3. "LDP to postpone fielding candidates in Osaka double elections; CDP, Komeito, and Communist Party also join". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 17 January 2026.