OSAKA -- With promises ranging from shrinking the local bureaucracy to having Osaka host an annual Asian Series for baseball, former Hanshin Tigers pitcher Takenori Emoto unveiled his gubernatorial campaign platform Tuesday.
Emoto, currently a member of the Diet's House of Councilors, will challenge Gov. Fusae Ohta as an independent in February's election.
In his six-page campaign platform, Emoto promises to reduce the size of the prefectural bureaucracy, turn failing third-sector projects over to private firms and install more streetlights in the hope of stemming the rise in street crime.
He said his first step would be to appoint a nonbureaucrat as vice governor.
The former pitcher said he would work to make Osaka the home of an annual baseball series between Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.