OSAKA -- Junichi Seki was returned to office in Sunday's Osaka mayoral election after he resigned amid clashes with the city assembly and bureaucrats over reform.
His main rivals in the race were Megumu Tsuji, a former member of the House of Representatives, and Kiyoshi Himeno, a former Osaka city assembly member from the Japanese Communist Party.
The election was called as a result of Seki's resignation last month only two years into his term. With the electoral victory, Seki is seen as receiving the public mandate he sought to carry out his reforms, which he has been pushing since taking office.