Official campaigning started Sunday for a mayoral election in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, in what is widely seen as a battle between Tokyo and Okinawa over the contentious relocation of a key U.S. military base within the island prefecture.
Mayor Atsushi Sakima, who is seeking a second four-year term in next Sunday's election, has the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Komeito party.
Sakima, 51, is being challenged by Keiichiro Shimura, a 63-year-old former senior official of the prefectural government with no party affiliation.