Voters wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus listen to a speech by a candidate in Tokyo on July 3, 2021, a day before the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Voting is under way Sunday in Tokyo's metropolitan assembly election, with the outcome possibly a foretaste of the House of Representatives election to be held by this fall.

       The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party in national politics aims to displace Tomin First no Kai, a regional party founded by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, as the leading force in the assembly and win a combined majority in the 127-seat chamber.

       In pre-election strength, Tomin First, for which Koike now serves as special adviser, has 46 seats. Tomin means Tokyoites in Japanese.

       The central government-ruling LDP, headed by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and its coalition partner Komeito hold the second and third most seats in the local assembly at 25 and 23 seats, respectively.

       But Tomin First is facing an uphill battle this time without cooperation from Komeito, which banded with the regional party in the last election in 2017 for Japan's largest local assembly representing some 11 million eligible voters.

       It also lacks the full-fledged support of Koike, whose approval rating remains strong at 57.5 percent in a recent Kyodo News poll.

       Koike's stance on the Tokyo assembly election so far is to support all parties which continue reform efforts pursued under her leadership.

       Koike was hospitalized in late June for over a week due to severe fatigue and had been conducting her duties via teleworking in accordance with her doctor's advice after she was discharged from the hospital Wednesday.

       "Obviously, I wish Tomin First all the best as they have been playing a significant role in the major reform of Tokyo," she said at a press conference Friday, her first after being released from the hospital.

       Major issues in Sunday's election include response to the coronavirus pandemic and how to stage the Olympics, starting later this month, at a time when coronavirus infections in Tokyo are again rising after a state of emergency was lifted last month.

       While the LDP and Komeito are vowing to pursue a safe and secure games by highlighting their strengths in coordinating with national politics, Tomin First is calling for hosting the event without spectators.

       The Japanese Communist Party is demanding that the Tokyo Games be canceled, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition in the Diet, is pushing for another postponement or cancellation, as well as criticizing the Suga administration's response to the pandemic.

       A total of 271 people have filed their candidacies in the Tokyo assembly race, according to data compiled by election boards in the capital.

       Among them, 60 are running from the LDP followed by 47 from Tomin First. The JCP and the CDPJ are fielding 31 and 28 candidates, respectively, followed by Komeito with 23, among others.

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