Five people registered Thursday as candidates for the Feb. 1 Osaka gubernatorial election, with incumbent Fusae Ohta facing two main challengers in her bid for re-election.
Observers say the main issues in the election are the resolution of the prefecture's financial woes and the continuing economic slump in the region.
In 2000, 52-year-old Ohta became Japan's first female governor. She faces the strongest competition from former House of Councilors member Takenori Emoto, 56, and Shoji Umeda, 53, an attorney backed by the Japanese Communist Party.
Two other candidates in the race are Shigezo Nishimura, 74, a former businessman, and Hiroaki Koyama, 61, a former member of the city assembly of Sennan, Osaka Prefecture. All five contenders are running as independents.
Ohta has the support of the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito -- and the Democratic Party of Japan and Social Democratic Party.
Emoto, a former Hanshin Tigers pitcher and baseball commentator, was first elected to the Upper House in 1992 and re-elected in 1998. He automatically lost his seat when he entered the gubernatorial race.
As a former DPJ member, he is supported by some members of the party. Also, nine of the LDP's 41 members of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly have defied their party and thrown their support behind Emoto.
Emoto quit the DPJ in early December. On Thursday, the Central Election Management Council said his Diet seat will be taken over by Shunichi Higuchi, 52, an Osaka native and company head.
Higuchi was next in line in the DPJ's proportional representation list in the House of Councilors election held in July 1998. He will hold the seat until July 25, which is the end of the six-year term for members of the chamber.
