Osaka gubernatorial election announced

In Osaka, a gubernatorial election was announced on Wednesday to be held on February 1.

At the start of his campaigning, candidate Umeda Shoji of the Association for a Bright Osaka Administration declared that he will defend the Constitution, end wasteful airport construction and other public works projects, and oppose Japanﾕs dispatch of troops to Iraq.

Two other contenders in the gubernatorial race are Ota Fusae, the pro-business incumbent governor, and Emori Takenori, a former professional baseball player whose policy is similar to that of Ota.

Business circles in Osaka and its surrounding regions have a sense of impending crisis due to increasing criticism of the present Osaka prefectural administration under Governor Ota. Akiyama Yoshihisa, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, in a speech on January 9, said, "We must prevent the Communist Party from taking over governorship." (end)