An ordinance to hold a referendum on whether to rename the Hokkaido town of Shimizu as Tokachi-Shimizu passed at an extraordinary session of the town assembly on the 6th. The assembly rejected the same measure in June, but the town submitted it again after a residents' group filed a direct demand.
The vote was 9 in favor and 2 against. The town will notify its election administration committee and hold the referendum within 90 days.
After the session, Mayor Yasuhiro Tsuji told reporters he was glad residents would have a forum to express their will, and that the town would explain the plan carefully and provide information. Takashi Miyakawa, head of the group behind the demand, the Association to Consider the Town Name Change, said the campaign had finally reached the starting line.
The ordinance limits eligibility to town residents of Japanese nationality who are in junior high school or older, and sets a minimum turnout of more than half of eligible voters.