History

Osaka is one of the oldest cities in Japan. The very first signs of human activity date back to 8000BC. Korean and Chinese traders, artists and craftsmen arrived around the beginning of the 6th century, when Tokyo was nothing more than a swamp. By the 8th century, Osaka was vying with the nearby capital of Kyoto for the position of most dominant city in the country. After the Battle of Osaka Castle in 1614 and 1615, in which the local lord was defeated, the centre of political power moved to Tokyo. But Osaka remained Japan’s economic and manufacturing centre until World War II, after which firms began to slowly move to Tokyo as the nation rebuilt itself from the ashes of war. Today, Osaka is trying to shake off its image as a manufacturing town by focusing on high-tech.

Politics

Osaka is both a city and a prefecture and has separate elected legislative bodies for each. The prefectural government (for the region of Osaka) is headed by a governor, while Osaka city is headed by a mayor. Elections for both the prefectural and the municipal assemblies are held every four years. Governor Fusae Ohta, the nation’s first female governor, has been serving since 2000, while Mayor Junichi Seki was elected in December 2003.

The dominant political party in Osaka, as in the rest of Japan, is the Liberal Democratic Party which, despite its name, is quite conservative.

Osaka’s politics are also heavily influenced by the powerful business lobby Kansai Economic Federation, which includes the heads of large firms in the Osaka region. They retain strong leverage over politicians and bureaucrats and often dictate that tax money be spent on favoured civic projects. All Osaka citizens are allowed to vote from age 20, but political apathy is a hallmark of Osaka politics, with voter turnout rates in recent years barely reaching 40%.

Religion

Japan has no official religion, but nearly all Japanese consider themselves Buddhists or followers of Shinto, which is less a religion and more an ideology. However, there are a number of different Buddhist sects in Osaka, including the newer forms of Buddhism that emerged in the 20th century, such as the Sokka Gakai sect which is extremely powerful politically. There is a small number of Christians, especially in the area Nishi ward area of Osaka, as well as among the local Korean and Japanese-Brazilian communities.

Economy

Ten years ago, the economy of the Osaka region was estimated to be nearly the size of the entire Canadian economy, but a decade of economic hardships has greatly reduced this. Businesses have fled to Tokyo or China in order to take advantage of the Chinese market as well as to save on labour and production costs. Osaka has long been home to small businesses manufacturing electronic products as well as the nation’s pharmaceutical industry. Many small, highly specialised firms in the adjacent city of Higashi-osaka produce ceramic goods and metal parts used in Japan’s fledgling aerospace industry. The city is also working hard to attract tourists and business conventions. Most large firms have moved out of Osaka, though it’s still the home of electronic manufacturers such as Matsushita (Panasonic) and Sanyo, as well as Sumitomo Metals. But with the exodus of so many manufacturing firms over the past decade, the few large companies that remain are utilities like Kansai Electric Power Company, which has risen to become one of the most prominent players in the local economy.

Population

There are about 4.5 million people in Osaka prefecture, of which about 2.5 million live in Osaka city itself. Nearly all are Japanese, although there are several hundred thousand Koreans, and a growing number of Chinese, others from Southeast Asia and Japanese-Brazilians. Many of those from Asia and Latin America work in low-paying factory jobs or the red-light districts, although an increasing number of East Asians, especially Chinese and South Koreans, are established entrepreneurs. There are also a large number of language students from abroad. Japanese is the main language, and although some Osakans are reasonably fluent in spoken English, the vast majority can read English but can’t speak it.