Official campaigning for the Sendai mayoral election began Sunday with the incumbent and an independent filing to run.

The two candidates for the first mayoral election since the Great East Japan Earthquake are incumbent Emiko Okuyama, 62, and independent Tatsuya Kadono, 54, backed by the Japanese Communist Party.

The coast of Miyagi Prefecture was severely damaged by the quake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and both are focusing on the slow pace of reconstruction in their campaigns.

Okuyama has the support of 43 of Sendai's 55 assembly members.