60638 The Meteorological Agency has announced that the low pressure on its way from the south off the Kanto region to east-northeast will grow powerfully to form a strong wintry pressure pattern, and a cold air mass of below 36 degrees Centigrade--below the freezing point--will flow into northern Japan from Siberia.
60639 Heavy snowfall is expected along the Sea of Japan and in mountainous regions in northern and eastern Japan, with predicted snow cover of 60 to 80 centimeters at the maximum.
60640 The New Year has come while the selection of candidates for the gubernatorial election of Tokyo slated for this spring remains confused.
60641 A professor emeritus at Waseda University, Saburo Kuroki, recommended by the Communist Party, is the only person that has formally announced his candidacy.
60642 Among other rumored names are Nobuo Ishihara, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Kunio Hatoyama, former Labor Minister; Taichi Sakaiya, a critic and writer; and Tetsundo Iwakuni, Mayor of Izumo City.
60643 The New Year has come without any of these "candidates" announcing a clear intention of running in the election.
60644 Some argue that the lineup of candidates will not be clear until late January.
60645 Since Shun'ichi Suzuki, the current governor, announced his intention to resign, the New Frontier Party has held four meetings of Diet members elected from Tokyo, including those who used to belong the Komeito Party and the Democratic Socialist Party.
60646 They are going to establish a "liaison council" in early January for the selection and backup of their own candidate, in cooperation with the prefectural assembly members.
60647 Mr. Hatoyama, a member of the council and one of the major would-be candidates commented, "I will have to give it a careful thought," showing his willingness, on December 27.
60648 The Liberal Democratic Party, on the other hand, is emphasizing discussion at the assembly level.
60649 They aim to select and back up an joint candidate, within the framework of the current ruling party of the assembly led by Suzuki, establishing another "liaison council" comprising Secretary-Generals of six factions, including the LDP, JSP, Komeito, DSP, and the NFP.
60650 Governor Suzuki hopes that the framework of the current ruling party will be maintained, and expects Mr. Ishihara to be his successor.
60651 Last October, Ishihara moved his resident registration from Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, where his home is located, to Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, which impressed people as "a sign of his strong intention to run for the election," but he returned the registration to Kawasaki last month.
60652 His name is also rumored as a candidate for the gubernatorial election of Kanagawa Prefecture.