The election campaign for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly that kicked off Friday is the preliminary battle for the looming Lower House election and could determine the fate of Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Cabinet, analysts said.
Voting for the assembly will take place July 12, while the other ongoing political showdown, the Shizuoka gubernatorial election, will be decided Sunday. Victory is vital for Aso in both elections, said Etsushi Tanifuji, a political science professor at Waseda University.
"Aso's leadership is on the line," Tanifuji said. "If the Liberal Democratic Party (candidates lose in) both polls, it is certain that the oust-Aso movement will gain momentum."