TSU, Mie Pref. -- Mie Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa's sudden announcement last November not to seek a third term ruffled political feathers both at the local and national levels.
With the name of the popular reformist incumbent off the roster, what might have been a relatively dull campaign has instead resulted in a four-way race, with Kitagawa refusing to openly endorse a successor in the April 13 election.
But the Kitagawa legacy is so strong in this prefecture that three of the four candidates have pledged to basically continue or advance his reforms and are scrambling to cash in on their connections with the governor.