Voters, including teens who will cast ballots for the first time, expressed their hopes and concerns as official campaigning for the Oct. 22 Lower House election got under way on Tuesday.

In the city of Fukushima, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched his campaign, Tetsuo Yoshida, a 71-year-old farmer, said his top issue was reconstruction from the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

"The prime minister showed his enthusiasm for reconstruction by choosing Fukushima as the first stop of his stumping tour," he said.