Official campaigning kicked off Friday for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, an event regarded as the prelude to a Lower House election to be held by this fall.
The main focus of the July 4 election is whether the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party — which form the ruling coalition in parliament — will prevail over Tomin First no Kai, or Tokyoites First party, founded by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike.
The assembly election has drawn public attention and strong support from each participating party, as it is regarded as a litmus test for the forthcoming parliamentary election.