Granting foreign residents a greater say in local affairs is the brainchild of Mayor Reiko Matsushita. The proposed ordinance that Matsushita vowed at a news conference Nov. 12 to submit to the Musashino municipal assembly would also cover students and technical intern trainees as long as they have resided in Musashino for at least three months. Matsushita noted that the city's foreign community had not been excluded from other citizen participation events, including those to sound out local residents on various issues. Of the city's total population of about 148,000, about 3,000 were foreign residents, as of Nov. 1. "There is no reason to distinguish between residents due to their citizenship with regard to the local referendum system," Matsushita said.