The main candidates for next month's Osaka mayoral and gubernatorial races, both local elections with national political implications, have been finalized.
The double election on Nov. 22 is a contest between Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) movement, which seeks to integrate the city and the prefecture, and the established parties, which favor the status quo.
The result will likely determine not only the fate of the local party, but also that of the new national Osaka-centered party announced last week by Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui.
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