Fukuoka's mayoral election opened on Nov. 1 with 13 candidates contesting a single seat, after incumbent Soichiro Takashima announced in August that he would not run. Voting is set for Nov. 15, and the winner will lead the ordinance-designated city — a major urban center with a status comparable to a prefecture — that anchors Kyushu and draws visitors from Japan and abroad.
The field is unusually crowded for a city of Fukuoka's size, and the contest has drawn national attention as the city chooses a new public face. Taro Aso, the senior Liberal Democratic Party figure, has been unable to settle the race, Daily Shincho reported, describing the outcome as a serious miscalculation on his part.
No heir named
Takashima declined to designate a successor before standing down at the end of his term. That left the race without an incumbent-backed candidate and opened it to a wide field, the report said.
The source does not say which candidates Aso or the LDP backed, or how the party's support is divided among the 13. It also does not give the reason Takashima chose not to name an heir.