The city of Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, home to a major state-of-the-art Sharp factory, rode the boom when the electronics maker was leading the world in liquid-crystal display TV sets.
But the mood in the city of about 50,000 has turned gloomy since the firm fell into decline after the global financial crisis exploded in fall 2008. Voters there appear most interested in steps to boost the economy as the Lower House election approaches.
"I never had to wait long for customers a few years ago," a taxi driver said at JR Kameyama Station on a lazy afternoon last month while nursing a can of coffee with his colleagues.