Osaka Reemerging as Japan's Second Metropolis shingetsunewsagency.com

SNA (Tokyo) — Eclipsed for many decades by its much larger Tokyo rival, Osaka is reclaiming its former status as Japan’s second metropolis.
Osaka Prefecture, by contrast, is home to less than 9 million people, rising to almost 23 million for the entire Kansai region.
In the case of Osaka, the figure was a much lower at 39 trillion yen (US$3.6 trillion).
For example, the latest edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Ranking put Osaka as the No.
In fact, the signature policy of the Osaka Restoration Association—which is otherwise similar in ideology to the current prime minister—is to administratively unite Osaka Prefecture and Osaka city, and create at a formal, legal level Japan’s second metropolitan government.