Campaigning for a mayoral election kicked off Jan. 17 in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, with the two opponents disagreeing over whether the U.S. Marine Corp's Futenma air base should be relocated there.

Susumu Inamine, 64, the city's former school superintendent, argues the base's operations should be moved outside Okinawa while incumbent Yoshikazu Shimabukuro, 63, has suggested he will accept its transfer from Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago.

The voting will be held Jan. 24.

This will be the fourth mayoral election focusing on the Futenma issue. Relocation supporters won the previous races.

"I promise not to allow (Japan and the United States) to build a base in the sea of Henoko," Inamine said at his kick-off rally, referring to the plan to build the replacement airfield on landfill.