Official campaigning kicked off Sunday for the Nago Municipal Assembly election in Okinawa Prefecture, with the planned construction there of a new U.S. military base to facilitate the closure of an unpopular airfield elsewhere in the prefecture a hot-button issue.
The results of the Sept. 9 vote could affect Okinawa's gubernatorial election on Sept. 30, in which a candidate opposing the base relocation plan is expected to compete against a candidate backed by the central government, which is pushing the move.
In the Nago assembly election, there will be 32 candidates running for 26 seats in the body. At stake is whether assembly members opposed to the relocation can continue to hold a majority following Nago's mayoral election in February, which was won by a rookie who effectively is open to or tolerant of the controversial transfer.