With the dissolution of the Lower House imminent and a snap election just around the corner, municipalities and government offices nationwide are scrambling to meet a staffing shortfall and a general lack of preparedness.

Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, a city hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, is scheduled to hold a mayoral election on Sunday, the first such race since the disaster.

But the city is too short of staff to prepare for a general election as only four full-time employees are working on poll preparations. Most other staffers are busy with reconstruction projects.