Editing Osaka Prefecture (section)

== History ==
{{See also|Historic Sites of Osaka Prefecture|Osaka#History}}{{historical populations|13=1890|14=1,324,216|15=1903|16=1,823,456|17=1913|18=2,461,067|19=1920|20=2,587,847|21=1925|22=3,059,502|23=1930|24=3,540,017|25=1935|26=4,297,174|27=1940|28=4,792,966|29=1945|30=2,800,958|31=1950|32=3,857,047|33=1955|34=4,618,308|35=1960|36=5,504,746|37=1965|38=6,657,189|39=1970|40=7,620,480|41=1975|42=8,278,925|43=1980|44=8,473,446|45=1985|46=8,668,095|47=1990|48=8,734,516|49=1995|50=8,797,268|51=2000|52=8,805,081|53=2005|54=8,817,166|55=2010|56=8,865,245|57=2015|58=8,838,908|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stat.go.jp/english/index.html|title=Statistics Bureau Home Page|website=www.stat.go.jp}}</ref>}}

Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the modern-day area of Osaka Prefecture was split between [[Kawachi Province|Kawachi]], [[Izumi Province|Izumi]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/5073|title=岸和田城跡|last=大阪府教育委員会|date=2002-03-29|website=Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/5094|title=海会寺|last=泉南市教育委員会|date=1987-09-21|website=Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref> and [[Settsu Province|Settsu]] provinces.<ref>Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 780|page=780}}</ref>

Osaka Prefecture was created on June 21, 1868, at the very beginning of the [[Meiji era]].<ref name="osakapref">{{cite web|title=大阪のあゆみ (History of Osaka)|language=ja|url=http://www.pref.osaka.jp/j_intro/ayumi/ayumi1.html|access-date = 2007-03-12}}The creation of Osaka prefecture took place slight earlier than many other prefectures, that had to wait for [[abolition of the han system]] in 1871.</ref> During the instigation of [[Fuhanken Sanchisei]] in 1868, the prefecture received its suffix ''[[Fu (administrative division)|fu]]'', designating it as a prefecture.

On September 1, 1956, the city of [[Osaka]] was promoted to a [[Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan|city designated by government ordinance]] and thereby divided into 24 [[Wards of Japan|wards]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Devolution Models, Japan's Designated Cities {{!}} Japan Local Government Centre (JLGC) : London |url=https://www.jlgc.org.uk/en/news_letter/devolution-models-japans-designated-cities/ |access-date=February 8, 2025 |website=[[Council of Local Authorities for International Relations|CLAIR]]}}</ref> [[Sakai, Osaka|Sakai]] became the second city in the prefecture to be promoted to a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2006, and was divided into seven wards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our City 堺市 |url=https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/foreign-language/english/visitors/about/ourcity/index.html |access-date=February 8, 2025}}</ref>

In 2000, [[Fusae Ota]] became Japan's first female governor when she replaced [[Knock Yokoyama]], who resigned after prosecution for [[sexual harassment]].<ref>Tolbert, Kathryn. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/08/062r-020800-idx.html "Election of First Female Governor Boosts Japan's Ruling Party"], ''The Washington Post'', February 8, 2000.</ref> [[Tōru Hashimoto]], previously famous as a counselor on television, was elected in 2008 at the age of 38, becoming the youngest governor in Japan.<ref name="FT">{{cite news |last=Harding |first=Robin |date=June 11, 2018 |title=Battle to remodel Osaka is legacy of Japan's Trump |url=https://www.ft.com/content/1d7c89e4-5dec-11e8-ab47-8fd33f423c09 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/1d7c89e4-5dec-11e8-ab47-8fd33f423c09 |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |work=[[The Financial Times]] |accessdate=October 5, 2021}}</ref>

On June 18, 2018, an [[2018 Osaka earthquake|earthquake]] struck the northern region of the prefecture. It killed 4 people and caused minor damage across [[Keihanshin|Greater Osaka]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaneko |first1=Kaori |last2=Foster |first2=Malcolm |date=June 18, 2018 |title=Magnitude 6.1 quake in Japan's Osaka area kills four, halts factories |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-quake/magnitude-6-1-quake-in-japans-osaka-area-kills-four-halts-factories-idUSKBN1JD13F |publisher=[[Reuters]] |accessdate=October 5, 2021}}</ref>

===Proposed reorganisation===
{{main|Osaka Metropolis plan}}

In 2010, the [[Osaka Restoration Association (1st)|Osaka Restoration Association]] was created with backing by Governor Tōru Hashimoto, with hopes of reforming Osaka Prefecture into the Osaka Metropolis and merging with the City of Osaka.<ref name="FT"/> In the 2011 local elections, the association was able to win the majority of the prefectural seats and Hashimoto was elected as mayor of Osaka.

A [[2015 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum|referendum]] on the issue was held in 2015 and was defeated with 50.38% of voters opposed to the plan.<ref name="FT"/> A second referendum in 2020 was rejected by 50.6% of voters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Eric |date=November 2, 2020 |title=Osaka referendum defeat raises questions about future of city's politics |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/11/02/national/politics-diplomacy/osaka-referendum-future/ |work=The Japan Times |url-access=registration |accessdate=October 5, 2021}}</ref>