NAGOYA (Kyodo) Official campaigning kicked off Monday in Nagoya for a controversial Feb. 6 referendum on whether to dissolve the city assembly, coinciding with similarly contentious mayoral and gubernatorial elections, with Mayor Takashi Kawamura at the center of quarrels surrounding all three votes.
A civic campaign initiated by Kawamura has paved the way for the referendum after the assembly rejected his proposals to cut local taxes and the pay of assembly members.
Residents in the Aichi Prefecture capital will cast "triple votes" on Feb. 6, including for the mayoral race, in which Kawamura is set to run to test his public mandate, and the gubernatorial race in which Kawamura's close parliamentary ally is expected to run.