OSAKA -- Osaka Mayor Takafumi Isomura on Wednesday formally announced his intention to seek a second term of office.
"As mayor, I have promoted the revival of small and medium-size enterprises that support the local Osaka economy, and am working to turn the city into an international economic leader," Isomura told a news conference.
Isomura also touched on the city's efforts to host the 2008 Olympics, noting that construction projects currently under way in the bay area will serve both the Games and future sports events.
"My aim is to create a city that attracts visitors from all over the world," Isomura said.
Osaka's mayoral election will be held in December. Isomura was elected in December 1995; he ran as a compromise candidate following a series of bribery scandals that forced his predecessor, Masaya Nishio, to bow out of the race at the last minute.