Public debate for Osaka gubernatorial by-election held

OSAKA, Japan - Three candidates in the Feb. 6 Osaka gubernatorial by-election participate in a public debate in Osaka on Jan. 19. They are (from L) Tatsuro Hiraoka, who runs a number of private schools in Osaka, Fusae Ota, former bureaucrat at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and Makoto Ajisaka, professor emeritus at Kansai University. The election is being held to replace disgraced former Gov. Knock Yokoyama, who resigned in December just before being indicted for allegedly molesting a female campaign worker in April last year.