Forty-six candidates applied Thursday to run in 11 gubernatorial elections April 13 in Tokyo and 10 other prefectures, marking the official start of campaigning that is expected to focus on the economy and support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Yoshihiro Katayama, 51, secured his second term as Tottori governor when nobody else submitted an application. The last time a governor was elected without a vote was in 1982 in Shiga Prefecture.
The upcoming elections are the first to be held nationwide under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi since the Upper House election in July 2001.