Less than two weeks remain until a local election that may influence both the planned relocation of the Futenma military base and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to secure a two-thirds majority in this summer's Upper House election.
The Jan. 24 mayoral election in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, pits incumbent Atsushi Sakima, 51, against challenger Keiichiro Shimura, 62, a former prefectural official.
Sakima has the support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, while Shimura is the favorite of the opposition parties, and is backed by Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga.