Abstract

The peak of the "Expo '70," the Communist Party administration, the era of comedian and female governor, the emergence of Hashimoto and the Ishin party, and the Matsui-Yoshimura system.

The period around 1970, when Osaka hosted Expo '70, was the economic peak of the "commercial city" Osaka. After that, the Osaka economy followed a path of stagnation and decline. Witnessing the economic stagnation and the critical financial situation of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, a new political movement was launched.

In February 2008, Toru Hashimoto, a lawyer, emerged as governor of Osaka Prefecture. In 2010, he launched Osaka Ishin, a local political party that became the predecessor of the current policy party Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party). The Ishin party maintained its vitality through the "winter period," with repeated rises, falls, and ups and downs.

Nippon Ishin made a significant breakthrough in the October 2021 lower house election. It has survived and presently has a presence as a new type of political force. This book traces the history of "50 years of Osaka politics" from the 1970 World Exposition, the height of postwar Osaka. And through the collapse of the bubble economy and the subsequent "lost 30 years" to the present day in 2022, the author re-examines the trajectory of the "postwar rise and fall history of the commercial capital."

Author’s Information

Ushio Shiota

Ushio Shiota is a nonfiction writer and critic born in 1946. After graduating from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Keio University, he worked as a magazine editor and reporter before making his debut in 1983 with the publication of "The Day Kasumigaseki Shook." The same year, he won the 5th Kodansha Nonfiction Award for this work. He has written numerous books.

（Information is current at the time of publishing.）