As campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial race got under way Thursday, just a little more than a month since Naoki Inose resigned over a money scandal, voters expressed bewilderment over how fast the focus seems to have turned to nuclear energy.

A 50-year-old construction company employee from Itabashi Ward said he was disappointed.

"It's completely wrong (for nuclear power to become a key issue)," he said. "I think the (2020 Tokyo) Olympics is a big subject. Inose's resignation came so unexpectedly it has clouded what the real issues are."