The watershed Upper House election is a few months away. But local-level battles are in full swing. Election campaigns kicked off March 22 for gubernatorial elections scheduled April 8 in Tokyo and 12 other prefectures. Mayoral elections also are set that day in Sapporo, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Hiroshima, with assembly elections in 44 prefectures and in 15 major cities.
April 22 will see mayoral elections in smaller cities, Tokyo's 23 wards, towns and villages. In total, about 1,100 local-level elections will be held on those two days. Upper House by-elections will also be held April 22 in Okinawa and Fukushima prefectures; their outcomes promise to have an impact on national politics as a prelude to the Upper House election this summer.
The elections come at a time when the approval rating of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration is on the decline. He hopes to buoy up his administration and the ruling bloc with election victories. Meanwhile, Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, head of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, is making strenuous efforts to promote his party's candidates, but the DPJ does not enjoy high popularity. Local-election wins would enable his party to gain a foothold toward winning the Upper House election and gaining a majority in the chamber.