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The elections were called by Yoshimura, who is also the leader of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), to gain public support for another merger referendum, long a key goal of the Osaka-centric party.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); });

It was a decisive victory for both incumbents. Yoshimura won more than 3 million votes, beating two independents who opposed the merger referendum. Second-place finisher Tsuneki Ohnishi garnered only 452,807 votes while Tatsumo Natto won just 155,855.

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