With the Lower House now likely to be dissolved Friday, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said Wednesday the time for making new campaign plans for his party is over and it's up to voters to decide.
"There's no point in talking about whether can or can't prepare. We have to go with what we have," Hashimoto said, just hours after Noda expressed his willingness to dissolve the Lower House as early as Friday.
Hashimoto said his party, Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), still hopes to reveal Saturday the first 80 candidates it plans to field, but he admitted it will be tough to stick that deadline now.