# 2023 Osaka mayoral election

The 2023 Osaka mayoral election was held on 9 April 2023 as part of the 20th unified local elections to elect the next mayor of Osaka. Incumbent mayor Ichiro Matsui decided not to seek a second term as mayor of Osaka, opting to retire from politics at the end of his term. The election resulted in a landslide victory for Hideyuki Yokoyama, the candidate from the Osaka Restoration Association, who secured 64% of the vote. Taeko Kitano, who was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito received 26% of the vote.

## Election information

The election was scheduled to in response to the expiration of the term of mayor Ichiro Matsui on April 8, 2023. The incumbent expressed his intention to retire from politics at the end of his term due to the rejection of his proposal to abolish Osaka City and establish an Osaka Metropolis.

### Announcements

* Date of official announcement: 26 March 2023
* Election date: 9 April 2023
To be held in conjunction with elections for the Osaka City Assembly, and the Osaka Prefectural Gubernatorial and Prefectural Assembly.

## Declared candidates

| Name | Age | Affiliation | Incumbent | Occupation/Office |
| Yokoyama Hideyuki | 41 | Osaka Restoration Association (Osaka Ishin no Kai) | No | Osaka Prefectural Councillor Osaka Restoration Party, General Secretary Former Osaka Prefectural employee |
| Kitano Taeko | 63 | Independent | No | Osaka City Councillor Former Liberal Democratic Party Osaka City Councillors' Caucus, General Secretary |
| Yamazaki Toshihiko | 44 | Independent | No | Physical therapist |
| Aramaki Yasuhiko | 58 | Independent | No | Restaurant owner |
| Nepe Nsa aka. Adachi Shin | 48 | Independent | No | Author/Writer |

### Potential candidates
#### Primaries

Fujita, Honda, Matsunami, and Okazaki were primary candidates. Fujita, Honda, and Matsunami were defeated in the first round of voting, while Okazaki was eliminated in the final round, leading to the victory of Yokoyama
* Fujita Satoru - Osaka City Councillor (Joto Minato)
* Honda Rie - Osaka City Councillor (Joto Ward)
* Okazaki Futoshi - Osaka City Councillor (Higashinari Ward)
* Kenta Matsunami - Osaka Prefectural Councillor for Takatsuki and Mishima cities), and former member of the House of Representatives.

## Timeline
### 2022

* September 30 - The Osaka Restoration Association announced its candidate.
* December 10 - The Osaka Restoration Association announced that Hideyuki Yokoyama, the candidate who received the most votes in the preliminary election for mayor, would be its candidate.

### 2023

* February 5 - It was reported that the political group "Update Osaka" intended to field Taeko Kitano, an Osaka City Councilor and former Secretary General of the LDP Osaka City Council. In order to gain broad support, Kitano is reportedly planning to leave the LDP and run as an independent candidate. On February 8, she officially announced her candidacy.
* February 21 - Toshihiko Yamazaki announced his candidacy.
* February 27 - Yasuhiko Aramaki announced his candidacy.
* March 7 - Makoto Adachi announced his candidacy.
* April 9 - Election held

## Election results

The mayoral election was held on 9 April, 2023 and was won by Yokoyama Hideyuki of the Osaka Ishin (Restoration) Party. 2,214,966 Osaka City residents turned out to vote which included 1,059,525 male voters, and 1,155,441 female voters. Voter turnout was 48.33%, which was a drop from 52.7% in the previous 2019 election.

### City wide results

| Candidate | Affiliation | Number of votes received |
| Yokoyama Hideyuki | Osaka Ishin (Restoration) Party | 655,802 |
| Kitano Taeko | Independent (backed by Liberal Democratic Party and Constitutional Democratic Party) | 268,227 |
| Yamazaki Toshihiko | Independent | 45,369 |
| Aramaki Yasuhiko | Independent | 30,960 |
| Nepenza | Independent | 15,408 |
Election results from 選挙ドットコム.

### Ward results

| ward name | Hideyuki Yokoyama | Taeko Kitano | Toshihiko Yamazaki | Yasuhiko Aramaki | Nepensa |
| Osaka City total | 655,802 | 268,227 | 45,369 | 30,960 | 15,408 |
| Kita Ward | 34,795 | 11,210 | 2,515 | 1,730 | 821 |
| Toshima Ward | 28,607 | 10,485 | 2,097 | 1,632 | 583 |
| Fukushima Ward | 20,303 | 6,783 | 1,335 | 783 | 380 |
| Konohana Ward | 16,057 | 6,557 | 925 | 639 | 404 |
| Chuo Ward | 23,849 | 9,393 | 1,356 | 1,396 | 518 |
| Nishi Ward | 23,622 | 8,653 | 1,251 | 1,198 | 501 |
| Minato Ward | 19,422 | 8,732 | 1,338 | 852 | 474 |
| Taisho District | 15,697 | 6,336 | 986 | 820 | 394 |
| Tennoji Ward | 20,073 | 8,134 | 1,030 | 1,064 | 430 |
| Naniwa Ward | 10,889 | 4,593 | 768 | 662 | 281 |
| Nishiyodogawa Ward | 22,661 | 10,189 | 1,385 | 1,328 | 596 |
| Yodogawa Ward | 41,715 | 20,109 | 1,986 | 1,678 | 884 |
| Higashiyodogawa Ward | 39,868 | 15,792 | 2,450 | 1,767 | 923 |
| Higashinari Ward | 20,702 | 8,130 | 1,773 | 914 | 532 |
| Ikuno Ward | 23,517 | 10,508 | 1,866 | 1,370 | 643 |
| Asahi Ward | 22,734 | 10,444 | 2,794 | 1,102 | 559 |
| Joto Ward | 46,115 | 16,942 | 4,402 | 1,709 | 1,076 |
| Tsurumi Ward | 29,369 | 9,585 | 2,485 | 1,125 | 618 |
| Abeno Ward | 28,697 | 13,719 | 2,595 | 1,286 | 502 |
| Suminoe Ward | 30,191 | 12,771 | 1,773 | 1,700 | 754 |
| Sumiyoshi Ward | 37,080 | 17,645 | 2,313 | 1,748 | 899 |
| Higashi Sumiyoshi Ward | 32,515 | 14,182 | 1,725 | 1,311 | 769 |
| Hirano Ward | 46,733 | 17,490 | 3,063 | 2,249 | 1,283 |
| Nishinari Ward | 20,591 | 9,845 | 1,158 | 897 | 584 |
All results published by Osaka City.