Fukuoka's mayoral election was formally launched on Nov. 1, with a record 13 candidates on the ballot and voting set for Nov. 15. The contest to lead Kyushu's largest designated city, a magnet for tourists from Japan and abroad, has drawn national attention as the field filled up.
The election follows the expiry of the incumbent's term. Mayor Soichiro Takashima announced in August that he would not run, leaving the city to choose a new face.
When the entry list closed on Nov. 1, people close to the campaign reacted with surprise at the size of the field. "This is just like the Tokyo governor's race two years ago," one was quoted as saying, a reference to that contest's crowded lineup.
A scandal that will not settle
The race has been shaped by unanswered questions about a figure described as the "don" of Fukuoka prefectural politics, whose alleged involvement in a funding scandal continues to unsettle local contests. The source does not name the figure or detail the allegations.
The same unease has spread beyond city hall. Eiji Iriyama, a former member of the House of Representatives and one of Japan's wealthiest men, with assets put at ¥400 billion, has seen a dispute over marriage end up in court.
“Everyone deceived me together — it is like a group marriage fraud case cooked up by all of them.”Eiji Iriyama, former member of the House of Representatives
Iriyama, 84, made the remark himself, according to Daily Shincho. The dispute dates to June 2022 and involves people connected to New Japan Kanko, the tourism company he inherited from his father.