Lawyer and TV celebrity Toru Hashimoto, 38, became Japan's youngest governor Jan. 27, winning the Osaka gubernatorial election by more than 800,000 votes in a surprise landslide victory.

Toru Hashimoto KYODO PHOTO

"Hashimoto was swept into office by younger voters eager for change and older voters suspicious of the opposition.

But skepticism remains strong about whether Hashimoto can bring the kind of change his supporters want. Critics warn that unless he moves quickly to turn his words into concrete action and show he can govern, he'll disappoint his supporters.

With the election over, tough questions are being asked about Hashimoto's ability to govern. On this point, even some in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, which supported him, are worried.

"Hashimoto must show he has specific ideas on how to revitalize the prefecture. He must explain those ideas to make them reality. Can he do it? I don't know," said one local LDP official, speaking anonymously.

Osaka Prefecture is about ٷ trillion in debt, largely because local bonds were issued in the 1990s for construction of Kansai airport and other public-private projects that now bleed red ink while during the same period Osaka-based corporations fled to Tokyo or overseas, resulting in a drastic drop in corporate tax income.

The Finance Ministry has warned the prefecture to implement drastic reforms or face losing much of its fiscal autonomy.

"I'll cut what needs to be cut, and keep those personnel and services that need to be kept," Hashimoto said during his campaign and following his victory.