From Hokkaido to Osaka, voters are casting their ballots to select governors, mayors and assembly members in local elections held across Japan on Sunday.
The results of the polls could affect Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision on when to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election, analysts have said.
Among the nine gubernatorial races, incumbents and new faces supported by the ruling coalition led by Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party square off with candidates backed by opposition parties in Hokkaido, Osaka, Nara and Oita prefectures.