HIROSHIMA -- The announcement by Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka that he will not seek a third term has thrown next year's election into uncertainty.

It is expected that the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition that supported Hiraoka, as well as the Japanese Communist Party, will put forward a candidate, and an independent may join the race too.

The mayor said his decision not to run was personal, and it caught many in the local community by surprise. Public opinion polls showed he was a strong leader, and it was widely believed a third term was his for the taking.