Japan’s election campaign for the lower house of parliament officially got underway Tuesday, with more than 1,100 candidates, filing applications to contest 465 seats. The election has become a showdown between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who launched a new national party to battle Abe’s ruling coalition. The vote is scheduled for Oct. 22. Japan’s political opposition has strengthened to take on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling party at the upcoming election. Even if the newly-launched opposition doesn’t emerge victorious, it can still hurt Abe’s image, CNBC reports.