Campaigning began Friday across Japan for prefectural and major metropolitan assembly elections set for April 7, with economic policies, aging, population decline and assistance for the elderly and working mothers the broad issues of concern for voters and candidates.
A total of 3,062 candidates were running in 41 prefectural assembly elections, while 1,396 people were standing for election in 17 metropolitan assemblies, according to Kyodo News. In addition to the assembly races, 11 gubernatorial elections and six mayoral elections are also taking place on April 7, campaigning for which began on March 21 and March 24 respectively.
In Osaka, races for the city's governor and mayor, as well as the prefectural and municipal elections, are being closely watched locally and in Tokyo for their impact on the fortunes of Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) — the local political party that has a plurality but not a majority in the assemblies.