(VOVworld) - Voters have cast ballots to elect 10 governors, 5 mayors, and local assembly members across Japan in the first of two rounds of local elections that take place every four years.

Voters cast ballots for local elections in Osaka on Sunday. (Photo: KYODO)

The second round is set for April 26 to elect mayors and city assembly members in other areas.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party considers the elections a litmus test on Abe’s efforts to resuscitate Japan's fortunes, dubbed "Abenomics", which combine massive government spending, monetary easing, and an overhaul of Japan’s highly regulated economy.