In the lead-up to the Oct. 27 election, Tokyo’s No. 24 district — encompassing a large part of the city of Hachioji in the capital's west — is witnessing a showdown between two candidates who could hardly be more different.

While six people are running in the district, the contest is likely to come down to two candidates: former Upper House lawmaker Yoshifu Arita of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, the incumbent who is running without the LDP’s formal endorsement.

On campaign kickoff day on Tuesday, the two camps made their pitches back to back in front of Hachioji Station in the morning.